McEachern did not answer. An hour before he would have fought to the last ditch for his belief in Jimmy’s crookedness, but the events of the last ten minutes had shaken him. He felt something of a reaction in Jimmy’s favour.
“Look here, Mr. McEachern,” said Jimmy, “I wish you would listen quietly to me for a minute or two. There’s really no reason on earth why we should be at one another’s throats in this way. We might just as well be friends. Let’s shake hands and call the fight off. I suppose you know why I came here to see you?” McEachern did not speak.
“You know that your daughter has broken off her engagement to Lord Dreever?”
“Then he was right!” said McEachern, half to himself. “It is you?”
Jimmy nodded. McEachern drummed his fingers on the table and stared thoughtfully at him.
“Is Molly——?” he said, at length. “Does Molly——?”
“Yes,” said Jimmy.
McEachern continued his drumming.
“Don’t think there’s been anything underhand about this,” said Jimmy. “She absolutely refused to do anything unless you gave your consent. She said you had been partners all her life, and she was going to do the square thing by you.”
“She did?” said McEachern eagerly.