“The affair might have blown over in a year.”
“You think so, Porteus.”
“If he had only stuck to his guns. People always wait to see what a man will do. If he skedaddles they draw their own inferences. Life is largely a game of bluff.”
The eyes of brother and sister met in a sudden questioning glance. Possibly the same thought had occurred to both.
“Would it be possible?”
“Possible for what?”
“For James Murchison to come back to Roxton?”
The lawyer reached for his napkin that had slipped down from his knees.
“That is the question,” he confessed, “it is not easy to rebuild a reputation. I would rather face fire than the sneers of my genteel neighbors.”
Miss Carmagee’s placid face had lost its habitual air of contentment and repose.