"
For an instant he was taken by surprise. He had been pleased to believe
that there was no way in which she could defend herself, unless she
would condescend to something stupidly like a scene. He flushed and drew
himself up.
"I beg your pardon, my dear Betty," he said, and walked away with
the manner of an offended adorer, leaving her to realise an odiously
unpleasant truth--which is that there are incidents only made more
inexplicable by an effort to explain. She saw also that he was
quite aware of this, and that his offended departure was a brilliant
inspiration, and had left her, as it were, in the lurch. To have said to
Lady Alanby: "My brother-in-law, in whose house I am merely staying for
my sister's sake, is trying to lead you to believe that I allow him to
make love to me," would have suggested either folly or insanity on her
own part. As it was--after a glance at Sir Nigel's stiffly retreating
back--Lady Alanby merely looked away with a wholly uninviting
expression.
When Betty spoke to him afterwards, haughtily and with determination, he
laughed.
"My dearest girl," he said, "if I watch you with interest and drop my
voice when I get a chance to speak to you, I only do what every other
man does, and I do it because you are an alluring young woman--which no
one is more perfectly aware of than yourself.
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