“Of course. What?”
“Don’t ever, ever be angry with me like that again, will you? I couldn’t bear it—really I couldn’t. I know it’s stupid of me, but it hurt. You don’t know how it hurt.”
“But my dear——”
“Oh, I know it’s stupid. But——”
“But, my darling, it wasn’t so. I was angry, but it wasn’t with you.”
“With——. Were you angry with Mr. Pitt?”
McEachern saw that he had travelled too far. He had intended that Jimmy’s existence should be forgotten for the time being—he had other things to discuss; but it was too late now. He must go forward.
“I didn’t like to see you out here alone with Mr. Pitt, dear,” he said. “I was afraid——”
He saw that he must go still farther forward. It was more than awkward. He wished to hint at the undesirability of an entanglement with Jimmy without admitting the possibility of it. Not being a man of nimble brain, he found this somewhat beyond his powers.
“I don’t like him,” he said briefly. “He’s crooked.”