“Say it’s an open question—­then what?”

“How can I say it’s an open question after this?  I’m not going to say a word about it.”

“Well, I thought we were engaged; but it seems there’s a bit of doubt in the air still.”

“Then you’d better clear that doubt, before you mention the subject again.  Until you and she agree about it, naturally it’s nobody else’s business.”

“And yet everybody makes it their business, including you.  Why did you advise me to look out what I was doing last night?”

“Because you’re young, boy, and I thought you might make a mistake and do an unsporting thing.  That was nothing to do with your marrying her.  How was I to know such an idea was in your mind?  Naturally nobody supposed any question of that sort had arisen.”

“Why not?”

Waldron felt a little impatient.

“You know as well as I do.  Men in your position don’t as a rule contemplate marriage with women, however charming and clever, who—.  But this is nonsense.  I’m not going to answer your stupid questions.”

“Then you’d say—?”

“No, I wouldn’t.  I’ll say nothing about it.  You’re wanting to get something for nothing now, and presently I daresay you’d remind me of something I had said.  We can go back to the beginning if you like, but you’re not going to play lawyer with me, Ray.  It’s in a nutshell, I suppose.  You’re going to marry Miss Dinnett, or else you’re not.  Of course, you know which.  And if you won’t tell me which, then don’t ask me to talk about it.”

“I’ve not decided.”

“Then drop it till you have.”

“You’re savage now.”

“I’m never savage—­you know that very well.  Or, if I am, it’s only with men who are unsporting.”

“Let’s generalise, then.  I suppose you’d say a man was a fool to marry out of his own class.”

“As a rule, yes.  Because marriage is difficult enough at best without complicating it like that.  But there are exceptions.  You can’t find any rule without exceptions.”

“I’ll tell you the truth then, Arthur.  I meant to marry Sabina.  I believed that she was the only being in the world worth living for.  But things have happened and now I’m doubtful whether it would be the best possible.”

“And what about her?  Is she doubtful too?”

“I don’t know.  Anyway I’ve just been down to see her and she wouldn’t see me.”

“See her to-morrow then and clear it up.  If there’s a doubt, give yourselves the benefit of the doubt.  She’s tremendously clever, Estelle says, and she may be clever enough to believe it wouldn’t do.  And if she feels like that, you’ll be a fool to press it.”

They talked on and Waldron, despite his caution, was too ingenuous to hide his real opinions.  He made it very clear to Raymond that any such match, in his judgment, would be attended by failure.  But he spoke in ignorance of the truth.