She looked at him, very white from suppressed fury. “I do believe you had been glad had it been so.”
“Nay,” he answered, “I had been sorry for Mr. Caryll's sake.”
“And for his own?”
“Pshaw!”
“Are you a father?” she wondered contemptuously.
“To my eternal shame, ma'am!” he flung back at her. He seemed, indeed, a changed man in more than body since Mr. Caryll's duel with Lord Rotherby. “No more, ma'am—no more!” he cried, seeming suddenly to remember the presence of Mr. Caryll, who sat languidly drawing figures on the ground with the ferrule of his cane. He turned to ask the convalescent how he did. Her ladyship rose to withdraw, and at that moment Leduc made his appearance with a salver, on which was a bowl of soup, a flask of Hock, and a letter. Setting this down in such a manner that the letter was immediately under his master's eyes, he further proceeded to draw Mr. Caryll's attention to it. It was addressed in Sir Richard Everard's hand. Mr. Caryll took it, and slipped it into his pocket. Her ladyship's eyebrows went up.
“Will you not read your letter, Mr. Caryll?” she invited him, with an amazingly sudden change to amiability.
“It will keep, ma'am, to while away an hour that is less pleasantly engaged.” And he took the napkin Leduc was proffering.
“You pay your correspondent a poor compliment,” said she.
“My correspondent is not one to look for them or need them,” he answered lightly, and dipped his spoon in the broth.