“What do you mean?” gasped Frank, his face paler.
“Well—what I say. Need I be more explicit? It is not usual for a man to imperil a girl’s reputation, is it?”
“Come,” said Frank; “tell me the truth. Is your acquaintance an intimate one?”
The fellow nodded and laughed. He plainly saw the result of his cruel aspersions upon the girl’s character.
“I don’t believe it,” declared Frank.
“Oh! perhaps you are her friend also!” exclaimed Jannaway with a smile. “If so, you’d better ask her if she did not remain with me during a recent absence from home. I wanted her to go back, but she seemed afraid, and preferred life in a bachelor’s chambers.”
“You lie!” cried Frank, crimson with anger.
“No, not so quick, Mr Farquhar,” exclaimed the scoundrel coolly. “Just inquire of her, that’s all. Ask her if she did not meet me in secret late one night, and whether she didn’t remain with me in my chambers off Oxford Street. She will certainly not have forgotten the incident,” he added with meaning sarcasm.
“I don’t believe you!” declared Frank, “but even if she had, you’re a cursed blackguard for giving her away!”
“You asked me for the truth, and you’ve got it!” was Jim Jannaway’s response. “Anything more you wish to know? If so, I am entirely at your service.”