“I am sorry that you should think so,” I answered.

“I did not know,” Delora continued, “that the young men of your country had time enough to spare to devote themselves to other people’s business in the way that you have done.  I came to this country upon a peculiar and complicated mission, intrusted to me by my own government.  The chief condition of success was that it should be performed in secrecy.  You were only a chance acquaintance, and how on earth you should have had the impertinence to associate yourself with my doings I cannot imagine!  But the fact remains that you made my task more difficult, and, in fact, at one time seriously endangered its success.  Not only that,” Delora continued, “but you have chosen to ally yourself with those whose object it has been to wreck my undertaking.  Yet, with the full knowledge of these things, you have had the supreme impudence to force your company upon my niece,—­even, I understand, to pay her your addresses!”

“The dowry of fifty thousand pounds,” I began,—­

He stretched out his hand with a commanding air.

“We will not allude to that, sir,” he declared.  “I was forced to make an attempt to bribe you, I admit, but it was under very difficult circumstances.  As it is, I am only thankful that you declined my offer.  I have arranged matters so that your cable shall do me no harm.  It has precipitated matters by twenty-four hours, but that is no one’s loss and my gain.  When I heard your name sent up I could scarcely believe my ears, but since you are here, since you have ventured to pay this call, I wish to inform you, on behalf of my niece and myself, that we consider your further acquaintance undesirable in the extreme.”

The man’s deportment was magnificent.  But for the fact that I had long ago lost all faith in him I should have felt, without the shadow of a doubt, that I had made a supreme fool of myself.  But as it was, my faith was only shaken.  The hideous possibility that I had made a mistake was there like a shadow, but I could not accept it as a certainty.

“Mr. Delora,” I said, “from one point of view I am very glad to hear you speak like this.  If I have been mistaken in supposing that your extraordinary behavior in London—­”

“But what the devil has my extraordinary behavior got to do with you?” Delora demanded, with the first note of anger in his tone which he had shown.

“My interest was for your niece, sir,” I answered.

“My niece does not require your protection or your interest,” Delora answered.  “It seems to me that you have chosen a queer way to return the hospitality which it was our pleasure to extend to your brother in Brazil.  I have still a busy morning, sir, and I have seen you for this one reason only:  to have you clearly understand that we—­my niece and I—­do not find your further acquaintance desirable.”

She made another little movement towards me, and by doing so came into the light.  I saw that her eyes were red with weeping, and notwithstanding an angry exclamation from Delora she held out her hands to me.