"Why on earth shouldn't I? But now Theo's simply ordered me to drop them. It's quite impossible. I—I told him so."
"And you did not tell him why?"
"No. That would have been worse than all."
"But you will tell me. You must—if I am to help you."
Evelyn regarded her with a misty smile. "You're very wonderful, Honor. But even you can't help now. You see—it's money——"
"Money? How? What?"
"Promise you won't stop loving me and be angry—like Theo was," Evelyn pleaded, the incurable child flashing out in the midst of her distress. "I've had enough for to-day."
"I promise, dear. Go on."
Then the small sordid tragedy came out in broken snatches, to the last particle. For once in her life Evelyn Desmond spoke the unvarnished truth, adorning nothing, extenuating nothing; and Honour listened in an enigmatical silence—a silence which held even after the last word had been spoken. Evelyn looked up at her nervously.