"I—I would rather not"
"Why? I'm your partner, and I ought to be told, You and George and I will have to work together closer than ever now. Don't let's begin by concealing anything."
"Well, perhaps you had better know the whole thing," said Boyd, slowly.
"Mildred does not like you; her father's mind has been poisoned by
Marsh. It seems they resent our friendship; they believe—all sorts of
things."
"So I am the cause of your trouble, after all."
"They blame me equally—more than you. It seems that Marsh made an inquiry into your—well, your life history—and he babbled all the gossip he heard to them. Of course they believed it, not knowing you as I do, and they misunderstood our friendship. But I can explain, and I shall, to Mildred. Then I shall prove Marsh a liar. Perhaps I can show Mr. Wayland that he was in the wrong. It's our only hope."
"What did Marsh say about me?" asked the girl.
She was pale to the lips.
"He said a lot of things that at any other time I would have made him swallow on the spot. But it's only a pleasure deferred. With your help, I'll do it in their presence. I don't like to tell you this, but the truth is vital to us all, and I want to arm myself."
Cherry was silent.
"You may leave it to me," he said, gently. "I will see that Marsh sets you right."