With a laugh Ashley held his hand up toward Davenant, who ignored it.

“Miss Guion,” Davenant said, huskily, “Colonel Ashley is pleased to put his own interpretation on what was in itself a very simple thing.  You mayn’t think it a very creditable thing, but I’ll tell you just what happened, and you can draw your own conclusions.  I went over to France, and saw your aunt, the Marquise, and asked her to let me have my money back.  That’s the plain truth of it.  She’ll tell you so herself.  I’d heard she was very fond of you—­devoted to you—­and that she was very rich and generous—­and so I thought, if I told her exactly how matters stood, it would be a good chance to—­to—­recoup myself for—­the loan.”

Ashley sprang up with another laugh.  “He does that well, doesn’t he?” he said to Olivia.  “Come along, old boy,” he added, slipping his arm through Davenant’s.  “If I let you stay here you’ll perjure your very soul.”

Davenant allowed himself to be escorted to the door.  Over his shoulder Ashley called back to Olivia:  “Fellows are never good friends till after they’ve had a fight.”

XXIV

When Ashley, after pushing Davenant gently out into the hall, returned to Olivia, she was standing by the mantelpiece, where the five K’ang-hsi vases had been restored to their place in honor of the Marquise.

“Rum chap, isn’t he?” Ashley observed.  “So awfully queer and American.  No Englishman would ever have taken a jaunt like that—­after the old lady—­on another chap’s behalf.  It wouldn’t go down, you know.”

Olivia, leaning on the mantelpiece, with face partially turned from him, made no reply.

He allowed some minutes to pass before saying:  “When I asked him how he liked the Louisiana I wanted to know.  I’m thinking of taking her on her next trip home.”

She turned slightly, lifting her eyes.  There was a wonderful light in them, and yet a light that seemed to shine from afar.  “Wouldn’t that be rather soon?”

“It would give me time for all I want.  Now that I’m here I’d better take a look at New York and Washington, and perhaps get a glimpse of your South.  I could do that in three weeks.”

She seemed to have some difficulty in getting her mind to follow his words.  “I don’t think I understand you.”

There was a smile on his lips as he said:  “Don’t you infer anything?”

“If I inferred anything, it would be that you think of going home—­alone.”

“Well, that’s it.”

She turned fully round.  For a long minute they stood staring at each other.  Time and experience seemed both to pass over them before she uttered the one word:  “Why?”

“Isn’t it pretty nearly—­self-evident?”

She shook her head.  “Not to me.”

“I’m surprised at that.  I thought you would have seen how well we’d played our game, and that it’s—­up.”