Action of some sort became imperative when he found that Miss Lucilla Van Tromp had heard the story and drawn from it what seemed to her the obvious conclusion.

“I should never have believed it,” she declared, tearfully, “if you hadn’t admitted it yourself.  I told Mrs. Bayford that nothing but your own words would convince me that any such scene had taken place.”

“Allowing that it did, isn’t it conceivable that it might have had an honorable motive?”

“Then, what is it?  If you could tell me that—­”

“I could tell you easily enough if there weren’t other considerations involved.  I should think that in the circumstances you could trust me.”

“Nobody else does, Derek.”

“Whom do you mean by nobody else?—­Mrs. Bayford?”

“Oh, she’s not the only one.  If your men friends don’t believe in you—­”

“They believe in me, all right; don’t you worry about that.”

“They may believe in you as men believe in one another; but it isn’t the way I believe in people.”

“I know how you believe in people if ill-natured women would let you alone.  You wouldn’t mistrust a thief if you saw him stealing your watch from your pocket.”

“That’s not true, Derek.  I can be as suspicious as any one when I like.”

“But don’t you see that your suspicion doesn’t only light, on me?  It strikes Diane.”

“That’s just it.”

“Lucilla! he cried, reproachfully.

“Well, Derek, you know how loyal I’ve been to her.  It’s been harder, too, than you’ve ever been aware of; for I haven’t told you—­I wouldn’t tell you—­one-half the things that people have hinted to me during the past two years.”

“Yes; but who?  A lot of jealous women—­”

“It’s no use saying that, Derek; because your own actions contradict you.  Why did Diane leave your house, if it wasn’t that you believed—?”

“Don’t.”  He raised his hand to his face, as if protecting himself from a blow.

“I wouldn’t,” she cried, “if you didn’t make me.  I say it only in self-defence.  After all, you can only accuse me of what you’ve done yourself.  Diane made me think at first that you had misjudged her; but I see now that if she had been a good woman you wouldn’t have sent her away.”

“I didn’t send her away.  She went.”

“Yes, Derek; but why?”

“That has nothing to do with the question under discussion.”

“On the contrary, it has everything to do with it.  It all belongs together.  I’ve loved Diane, and defended her; but I’ve come to the point where I can’t do it any longer.  After what’s happened—­”

“But, I tell you, what’s happened is nothing!  If it was only right for me to explain it to you, as I shall explain it to you some day, you’d find you owed her a debt that you never could repay.”

“Very well!  I won’t dispute it.  It still doesn’t affect the main point at issue.  Can you yourself, Derek, honestly and truthfully affirm that you look upon Diane as a good woman, in the sense that is usually attached to the words?”