“I have given you my answer,” Gaunt said gravely.
“Still, I do not despair of making you change your mind. This little dossier contains other details of your life in the Congo. Of course it is a savage country, and one doesn’t expect our domestic fireside morals to prevail, but——”
He stopped and shrugged his shoulders expressively, while his face bore a deprecating smile.
“Lady Mildred is a charming woman, and I am proud to number her among my acquaintances. I propose to cultivate my acquaintanceship with her. It would be deplorable if I am compelled to let her know something of the kind of life you led in the Free State.”
Gaunt’s face had grown very white, and he required all his strength of will to keep back a flow of contemptuous words.
“My patience is exhausted, and I think——”
He ceased speaking and turned round quickly, for the door had opened.
“I am sorry to disturb you. I thought you were alone,” Edward Drake, for it was he who entered, said apologetically.
“Don’t go away, Drake, for I should like to introduce you to the Baron de Croiseuil, whose name you probably know,” John said quietly.
The Baron bowed, and Drake returned the salutation, but his manner was frigid, for he was only too well acquainted with the part that this smiling Belgian had played in the Congo.