Rooke. But that you.... Still, there is
no need to go into that. What I am trying to point out is that in
your position, with a career like yours in front of you--it's quite
certain that in a year or two you will be offered some really big and
responsible position--you would be insane to tie yourself to a girl
who seems to have been allowed to run perfectly wild, whose uncle is a
swindler...."

"She can't be blamed for her uncle."

"... Who sups alone with strange men in public restaurants...."

"I explained that."

"You may have explained it. You certainly did not excuse it or make it
a whit less outrageous. You cannot pretend that you really imagine
that an engaged girl is behaving with perfect correctness when she
allows a man she has only just met to take her to supper at the Savoy,
even if she did know him slightly years and years ago. It is very
idyllic to suppose that a childhood acquaintance excuses every breach
of decorum, but I was brought up to believe otherwise. I don't wish to
be vulgar, but what it amounts to is that this girl was having
supper--supper! In my days girls were in bed at supper-time!--with a
strange man who picked her up at a theatre!"

Derek shifted uneasily. There was a part of his mind which called upon
him to rise up and challenge the outrageous phrase and demand that it
be taken back. But he remained silent. The imp-Colossus was too strong
for him. She is quite right, said the imp. That is an unpleasant but
accurate description of what happened. He looked at the clock again,
and wished for the hundredth time that the cab would come. Jill's
photograph smiled at him from beside the clock. He looked away, for,
when he found his eyes upon it, he had an odd sensation of baseness,
as if he were playing some one false who loved and trusted him.

"Well, I am not going to say any more," she said, getting up and
buttoning her glove. "I will leave you to think it over. All I will
say is that, though I only met her yesterday, I can assure you that I
am quite confident that this girl is just the sort of harum-scarum
so-called 'modern' girl who is sure some day to involve herself in a
really serious scandal. I don't want her to be in a position to drag
you into it as well. Yes, Barker, what is it? Is Sir Derek's cab
here?"

The lantern-jawed Barker had entered softly, and was standing
deferentially in the doorway. There was no emotion on his face beyond
the vague sadness which a sense of wha