A swift change of expression crossed his face.
"I can't promise that. I'll do my best not to disappoint you, but I must get all these cleared off before I think of anything else."
"How can you manage to clear them off—now?"
"Why trouble your head about side issues? They will all be paid before Christmas; that ought to be enough for you."
"But it's not enough. Tell me what you are going to do—tell me. I won't be pushed on one side like a child."
Desmond frowned.
"Well—if you insist on having it, I am going to sell Diamond."
She started and caught at his arm. For all his matter-of-fact coolness, she knew what those half-dozen words meant to her husband.
"No,—no Theo. Not Diamond! He's the best of them all."
"Exactly. He'll sell quicker and fetch a longer price than any of the others; that's why—he must go."