ulder. He
would jolly well (such were his words) take a something (I forget the
adjective) megaphone and trumpet about society what a splendid fellow I
was.

"I'll tell everybody the whole silly-ass story about myself from
beginning to end," he declared.

I checked him. "You're very generous, my dear boy," said I, "but you'll
do me a favour by letting folks believe what they like." And then I
explained, as delicately as I could, how his sudden championship could
be of little advantage to me, and might do him considerable harm.

In his impetuous manner he cut short my carefully-expressed argument.

"Rubbish! Heaps of people I know are already convinced that I was
keeping Lola Brandt and that you took her from me in the ordinary vulgar
way--"

"Yes, yes," I interrupted, shrinking. "That's why I order you, in God's
name, to leave the whole thing alone."

"But confound it, man! I've come out of it all right, why shouldn't you?
Even supposing Lola was a loose woman--"

I threw up my hand. "Stop!"

He looked disconcerted for a moment.

"We know she isn't, but for the sake of argument--"

"Don't argue," said I. "Let us drop it."

"But hang it all!" he shouted in desperation. "Can't I do something!
Can't I go and kick somebody?"

I lost my self-control. I rose and put both my hands on his shoulders
and looked him in the eyes.

"You can kick anybody you please whom you hear breathe a word against
the honour and purity of Madame Lola Brandt."

Then I walked away, knowing I had betrayed myself, and tried to light
a cigar with fingers that shook. There was a pause. Dale stood with
his back to the fireplace, one foot on the fender. The cigar took some
lighting. The pause grew irksome.

"My regard for Madame Brandt," said I at last, "is such that I don't
wish to discuss her with any one." I looked at Dale and met his keen
eyes fixed on me. The faintest shadow of a smile played about his mouth.

"Very well," said he dryly, "we won't discuss her. But all the same,
my dear Simon, I can't help being interested in her; and as you're
obviously the same, it seems rather curious that you don't know where
she is."

"Do you doubt me?" I asked, somewhat staggered by his tone.

"Good Heaven's, no! But if she has disappeared, I'm convinced that
something has happened which I know nothing of. Of course, it's none of
my business."

There was a new and startling note of assurance in his voice. Certainly
he had developed dur