“Well,—that’s all. You know—Warren says every one in Washington knows—I’ve not been everything to him. It was only necessary for me to go away for a very little time and—Warren found some one who was really everything to him.” Patsy looked across at Warren’s friend, but he was shading his eyes, so that she could not see them. “Just put yourself in my place, Kent; suppose Farleigh——”
“That is what I’m trying to do, put myself in your place,” Chalmers interrupted very quietly; “and I admit it’s not a pleasant place, Patsy. Still—Warren told you all this? He came straight to you, and told you everything?”
“Yes. But——”
“He might very easily not have told you,” meditated Chalmers. “People—in such cases, people don’t often tell, you know.”
“He knew, of course, I’d find out,” returned Patsy a bit scornfully. “In this place every one knows everything.”
“Or invents it,” retorted Chalmers. “Tell me truthfully, Patsy, if you had heard that Warren was er—interested in some other woman, that she was using her influence” (Chalmers hesitated), “her husband’s influence to get him a Cabinet appointment—Warren told you that?” he added quickly.
“Yes,” said Patsy, very low.
“Then—truthfully—if any one in Washington had told you this thing about Warren, tell me—would you have believed it? Would you, Patsy?”
There was a moment of rather tense silence; then “Warren sent you here to plead for him,” Patsy broke out, tying her handkerchief in hard little knots; “and you’re doing it—oh, cleverly! But it’s no good, Kent. Of course, I wouldn’t have believed it; you know that. But it’s no good, Kent, Warren——”
“And you don’t credit Warren with the wit to know it too?” Chalmers interrupted, impatiently. “I daresay there have been stories, plenty of them, about Warren, as there are about every politician, that have made your blood boil, Patsy; and yet, with all the experience he’s had with you, and knowing how much importance you’d attach to this story if it were to come to you in the usual way, you think that Warren told you the truth himself because he was afraid? My dear Patsy, you don’t know strength when it’s shown you!”