Part 42 (1/2)
”True; but there's a good deal that _is_ in our hands. There's, for example--our own.”
”Up to a point--yes.”
”And up to that point we should take care of it. Shouldn't we?”
”I dare say. But I don't know what you mean.”
He gave the nervous little laugh which helped him over moments of embarra.s.sment.
”Ford was with me last night. He said it was all off between him and Evie.”
”I thought he might tell you that.”
”So that,” he went on, forcing a smile, with which his voice and manner were not in accord, ”our undertaking having failed, the bottom's out of everything. Don't you see?”
She was so astonished that she walked into his trap, just as he expected.
”I don't see in the least. I thought our undertaking--as you call it--was going to be particularly successful.”
”Successful--how?”
He dropped his smile and looked interrogative, his bit of acting still keeping her off her guard.
”Why, if Amalia Gramm's testimony is all you think it's going to be----”
”Oh, I see. That's the way you look at it.”
”Isn't it the way you look at it, too?”
He smiled again, indulgently, but with significance.
”No; I confess it isn't--at least, it hasn't been. I thought--perhaps I was wrong--that our interest was in getting Ford off, so that he could marry Evie. Since he isn't going to marry her, why--naturally--we don't care so much--whether he gets off or not.”
”Oh, but----”
She checked herself; she even grew a little pale. She began to see dimly whither he was leading her.
”Of course I don't say we should chuck him over,” he went on; ”but it isn't the same thing any longer, is it? I think it only fair to point that out to you, because it gives you reasonable ground for reconsidering your--decision.”
”Oh, but I don't want to.”
While she had said exactly what he hoped to hear, she had not said it as he hoped to hear it. There were shades of tone even to impetuosity, and this one lacked the note his ear was listening for. None the less, he told himself, a wise man would have stopped right there; and he was conscious of his folly in persisting, while he still persisted.
”That's for you to decide, of course. Only if we go on, it must be understood that we've somewhat s.h.i.+fted our ground.”
”I haven't s.h.i.+fted mine.”
”Not as you understand it yourself--as, possibly, you've understood it all along. But you have, as I see things. When you came to me--to my office----”