“What is that?”
“Why, you have not said 'I told you so.'”
She smiled at that. “How stupid of me!” said she. “Oh! but you forgave my Frenchman, and for that I owe you some consideration.”
“Did I, faith?” said he. “'Twas mighty near the compounding of a felony, a shocking lapse in a Justice-General. To tell the truth, I was only too glad, in MacTaggart's interest, while he was ill, to postpone disclosures so unpleasant as are now the talk of the country; and like you, I find him infinitely worse in these disclosures than I guessed.”
The Duchess went away, the Duke grew grave, reflecting on his duty. What it clearly was he had not decided until it was late in the evening, and then he sent for his Chamberlain.
CHAPTER XL — THE DAY OF JUDGMENT
Simon went to the library and saw plainly that the storm was come.
“Sit down, Simon, sit down,” said his Grace and carefully sharped a pen.
The Chamberlain subsided in a chair; crossed his legs; made a mouth as if to whistle. There was a vexatious silence in the room till the Duke got up and stood against the chimney-piece and spoke.