There was a silence between us for some seconds, then I said awkwardly,
'His—his—coming was a wonderful vindication of my friend, wasn't it?'
'Did he need any vindication?' she asked.
'I imagined you thought so last night—forgive me,' I replied, angry with myself for having blurted out the words.
I saw the colour mount to her cheeks, and I thought her eyes flashed anger.
'It might seem as though everything had been pre-arranged,' I went on, 'but I'm sure he could not help himself. Never did a man love a woman more than Edgecumbe—that is Jack Carbis, loves you. He felt it to be his duty to you to expose Springfield. He knew all along that he was an evil fellow.'
She did not speak, and again I went on almost in spite of myself.
'I have thought a good deal about what you said. Surely you never thought of marrying him?'
'Yes, I did.'
'Because you loved him?'
She shook her head. 'No, I never loved him,' she replied quickly, angrily. 'The very thought of——' she stopped suddenly, and was silent for a few seconds; and then went on, 'I cannot tell you. It would——; no, I cannot tell you.'