"Certainly not. Miss Dangerfield told me I was to bring you back."
Enthroned at the secretary's desk, a mass of papers before her, Miss Geraldine Dangerfield awaited him. He was ready to place his head on the block in sheer contrition for his conduct, but she herself took the initiative, and her tone was wholly amiable.
"This morning, Mr. Ardmore—"
"Oh, please forget this morning!" he pleaded.
"But I was rude to you; I threatened to have you thrown out of the house; and you had come to do us a favor."
"Miss Dangerfield, I can not lie to you. You are one of the most difficult persons to lie to that I have ever met. I didn't come to Raleigh just to warn your father that his life was threatened. I can't lie to you about that—"
"Then you are a spy?" and Miss Dangerfield started forward in her chair so suddenly that Ardmore dropped his hat.
"No! I am not a spy! I don't care anything about your father. I never heard of him until yesterday."
"Well, I like that!" ejaculated Miss Dangerfield.
"Oh, I mean that I wasn't interested in him—why should I be? I don't know anything about politics."