“Perhaps I do understand,” he said gently.
“About Del?” She drew a quick breath. “How could you?”
“Wholly through an accident. A medical man, a slimy little reptile, surprised his secret and inadvertently passed it on.”
She leaned forward to him from her corner of the settee, all courage and truth. “I’m glad that you know, though I couldn’t tell you, myself. You’ll see now that I couldn’t leave him to face it alone.”
“No. You couldn’t. If you did, it wouldn’t be Io.”
“Ah, and I love you for that, too,” she whispered, her voice and eyes one caress to him. “I wonder how I ever made myself believe that I could get over loving you! Now, I’ve got to pay for my mistake. Ban, do you remember the ‘Babbling Babson’? The imbecile who saw me from the train that day?”
“I remember every smallest thing in any way connected with you.”
“I love to hear you say that. It makes up for the bad times, in between. The Babbler has turned up. He’s been living abroad for a few years. I saw him at a tea last week.”
“Did he say anything?”
“Yes. He tried to be coy and facetious. I snubbed him soundly. Perhaps it wasn’t wise.”