Part 41 (1/2)

”It's very good of them. But they can save themselves the trouble.”

He thought: ”He isn't going to get anything out of me.”

”Oh, come, you don't suppose we believe a word of it.”

They looked at each other. Sir John thought: ”I'll get it out of him.”

And Mr. Waddington thought: ”I'll get it out of him.”

”You might as well tell me what you're talking about,” he said.

”My dear chap, it's what Mrs. Levitt's talking about. That's the point.”

”Mrs. Levitt!”

”Yes. She's a dangerous woman, Waddington. I told you you were doing a risky thing taking up with her like that.... And there's Hawtrey doing the same thing, the very same thing.... But he's a middle-aged man, so I suppose he thinks he's safe. ... But if he was ten years younger-- Hang it all, Waddington, if I was a younger man I shouldn't feel safe. I shouldn't, really. I can't think what there is about her. There's something.”

”Yes,” said Mr. Waddington, ”there's something.”

Something. He wasn't going to let Corbett think him so middle-aged that he was impervious to its charm.

”What is it?” said Sir John. ”She isn't handsome, yet she gets all the young fellows running after her. There was Markham, and Thurston, and there's young Hawtrey. It's only sober old chaps like me who don't get landed.... Upon my word, Waddington, I shouldn't blame you if you _had_ lost your head.”

Mr. Waddington felt shaken in his determination not to let Corbett get it out of him. It was also clear that, if he did admit to having for one wild moment lost his head, Corbett would think none the worse of him. He would then be cla.s.sed with Markham and young Billy, whereas if he denied it, he would only rank himself with old fossils like Corbett. And he couldn't bear it. There was such a thing as doing yourself an unnecessary injustice.

Sir John watched him hovering round the trap he had laid for him.

”Absolutely between ourselves,” he said. ”_Did_ you?”

Under Mr. Waddington's iron-grey moustache you could see the Rabelaisian smile answering the Rabelaisian twinkle. For the life of him he couldn't resist it.

”Well--between ourselves, Corbett, absolutely--to be perfectly honest, I did. There _is_ something about her.... Just for a second, you know. It didn't come to anything.”

”Didn't it? She says you made violent love to her.”

”I won't swear what I wouldn't have done if I hadn't pulled myself up in time.”

At this point it occurred to him that if Elise had betrayed the secret of his love-making she would also have told her own tale of its repulse.

That had to be accounted for.

”I can tell you one queer thing about that woman, Corbett. She's cold--cold.”

”Oh, come, Waddington--”

”You wouldn't think it--”

”I don't,” said Sir John, with a loud guffaw.

”But I a.s.sure you, my dear Corbett, she's simply wooden. Talk of making love, you might as well make love to--to a chair or a cabinet. I can tell you Markham's had a lucky escape.”