The agony of that dinner is a thing which I shall never forget. Sir Appleton sat in dead silence for half the meal, then roused himself to talk about red lacquer. That was his nearest approach to China, business... And, when we were alone, he turned to Will and said:
"How much does your mother know about it?"
"About what?," Will asked, naturally enough.
"Now don't try that kind of thing on me, young man!," cried Sir Appleton in a quite unpardonable tone.
And then, for the first time, I heard the facts about this girl's unhappy condition. Will, apparently, knew, but she had not told her father or Arthur or anybody but Sir Appleton. And how much of it was true...
"You are accepting this girl's tale?," I asked.
"I believe her."
"Without a shadow of evidence? If Will assured you—"
"I shouldn't believe him," he interrupted.
To Will's mother, in her own house, at her own table! I could see that this was going to be war to the knife...