‘True?’ looked Evan’s eyes.

‘True!’ she said, smiling, and feasting on his bewilderment.

After the bubbling in his brain had a little subsided, Evan breathed as a man on whom fresh air is blown.  Were not these tidings of release?  His ridiculous pride must nevertheless inquire whether Caroline had been begging this for him.

‘No, dear—­indeed!’ Caroline asserted with more than natural vehemence.  ’It’s something that you yourself have done that has pleased him.  I don’t know what.  Only he says, he believes you are a man to be trusted with the keys of anything—­and so you are.  You are to call on him to-morrow.  Will you?’

While Evan was replying, her face became white.  She had heard the Major’s voice in the shop.  His military step advanced, and Caroline, exclaiming, ‘Don’t let me see him!’ bustled to a door.  Evan nodded, and she slipped through.  The next moment he was facing the stiff marine.

‘Well, young man,’ the Major commenced, and, seating himself, added, ’be seated.  I want to talk to you seriously, sir.  You didn’t think fit to wait till I had done with the Directors today.  You’re devilishly out in your discipline, whatever you are at two and two.  I suppose there’s no fear of being intruded on here?  None of your acquaintances likely to be introducing themselves to me?’

‘There is not one that I would introduce to you,’ said Evan.

The Major nodded a brief recognition of the compliment, and then, throwing his back against the chair, fired out:  ’Come, sir, is this your doing?’

In military phrase, Evan now changed front.  His first thought had been that the Major had come for his wife.  He perceived that he himself was the special object of his visitation.

‘I must ask you what you allude to,’ he answered.

’You are not at your office, but you will speak to me as if there was some distinction between us,’ said the Major.  ’My having married your sister does not reduce me to the ranks, I hope.’

The Major drummed his knuckles on the table, after this impressive delivery.

‘Hem!’ he resumed.  ’Now, sir, understand, before you speak a word, that I can see through any number of infernal lies.  I see that you’re prepared for prevarication.  By George! it shall come out of you, if I get it by main force.  The Duke compelled me to give you that appointment in my Company.  Now, sir, did you, or did you not, go to him and deliberately state to him that you believed the affairs of the Company to be in a bad condition—­infamously handled, likely to involve his honour as a gentleman?  I ask you, sir, did you do this, or did you not do it?’

Evan waited till the sharp rattle of the Major’s close had quieted.

’If I am to answer the wording of your statement, I may say that I did not.’

’Very good; very good; that will do.  Are you aware that the Duke has sent in his resignation as a Director of our Company?’