Lord Lyndwood looked at him steadily.
"Yes," he said.
"Then," answered Marius, very pale, "I tell you that you have behaved bitterly to me, and that I can never forgive you!"
The Earl fingered the silver braid on his sleeve.
"Why, you are very fierce," he said.
His languid manner maddened Marius.
"Reflect on what you have done, my lord. You have brought me up as a gentleman to think nothing of money—to imagine it was there for me when I was a man. I have seen it spent on all sides, and now you dare face me with this tale of ruin."
"By Gad, it is not very pleasant for me," answered the Earl.
"You!" cried Marius, goaded. "A spendthrift, a prodigal! Oh, I have heard of your reputation! If you chose to squander a fortune on your pleasures you had no right, I say, no right to involve me in paying the price."