But Honor, holding her closer, looked searchingly into her face. "Evelyn, that is not true!"
"Well, he said so. And he doesn't tell lies!"
"Oh, you poor, poor child!" Honor murmured, kissing her with a strange fervour of sympathy. "But tell me—what's the reason of all this? If Theo did say such terrible things, he must have been cruelly hurt or very angry——"
"He was—very angry. I'm sure he won't forgive me this time; and I do believe it would be better all round if I went right away and left him in peace with his polo and his squadron and his precious Frontier Force——"
Honor's hand closed her lips. "My dear! Are you quite mad?"
"No. But I think I will be—very soon."
She spoke with such tragic certainty that the girl smiled in spite of herself. "Why? What have you done? Tell me—quick!"
"Oh! It's not me that's done," Evelyn declared with her engaging air of injured innocence. "It's other people—Major Wyndham, I believe—making remarks to him about me and—Mr Kresney."
"You've been there again. I was half afraid——"