And as he thought this, he saw coming down the street, Hickson—­a witness prejudiced, perhaps, but strictly honest.

For the first time in their short acquaintance, Hickson’s face brightened at the sight of Riatt, and he called out with evident sincerity:  “I am glad to see you.”

“I came on rather unexpectedly.”

“I’m glad you did.  Quite right.”  Hickson stopped at this, and looked at his companion with such wistful uncertainty, that it seemed perfectly natural for Riatt, answering that look, to say: 

“You may speak frankly to me, you know.”

Ned took a long breath.  “I believe that I may,” he said.  “I hope so, anyhow.  I haven’t had any one I could be frank with.  Between ourselves, Fenimer is no good at all.”

“What, my future father-in-law?”

“Is that what he is?” Hickson asked with, for him, unusual directness.

Riatt’s affirmative was not very decided, and Ned went on: 

“I can’t even talk to Nancy about it.  She’s keen, but she does not understand Christine.  She attributes the most shocking motives to her, and when I object, she says every one is like that, only I haven’t sense enough to see it.  Well, I never pretended to have as much sense as Nancy, but I see some things that she doesn’t.  I see, for instance, that there’s something noble in Christine, in spite of—­I beg your pardon for talking to you like this, but you must remember that I have known her a good deal longer than you have, and that in a different way perhaps I care for her almost as much as you do.”

“I told you to speak frankly,” answered Riatt.  “What is it that Mrs. Almar says of Christine?”

At first Hickson refused to answer, but the suffering and anxiety he had been undergoing pushed him toward self-expression, and Riatt did not have to be very skilful to extract the whole story.  Nancy had asserted that Christine had never intended for a minute to marry Riatt—­that she had just used him to excite Linburne’s jealousy to such a point that he would arrange matters so that he could marry her himself.  For once Riatt found himself in accord with Nancy.

“Do more people than your sister think that?”

Hickson was not without his reserves.  “Oh, I dare say, but I don’t care about that sort of gossip.  It’s absurd to say she and Linburne are engaged.  How can a girl be engaged to a married man?”

“We must move with the times, my dear Hickson,” said Riatt bitterly.

“Linburne’s no good,” Ned went on, “not where women are concerned.  He wouldn’t treat her well if he did marry her.  Why, Riatt,” he added solemnly, “I’d far rather see her married to you than to him.”

If Max felt disposed to smile at this innocent endorsement, he suppressed the inclination, and merely answered: 

“You may have your wish.”

“I hope so,” said Ned.  “But you mustn’t go off to kingdom-come, and leave Linburne a clear field.  He’s a man who knows how to talk to women, and what with the infatuation she has always had for him—­”