Certainly
that incident with Waterman ought to have opened your eyes to what
people are saying."
Lucy gave a start, and gazed at him with horror in her eyes.
"Allan!" she panted.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Do you mean to tell me that happened to me because Stanley Ryder is
my friend?"
"Of course I do," said he. "Waterman had heard the gossip, and he
thought that if Ryder was a rich man, he was a ten-times-richer
man."
Montague could see the colour mount swiftly over Lucy's throat and
face. She stood twisting her hands together nervously. "Oh, Allan!"
she said. "That is monstrous!"
"It is not of my making. It is the way the world is. I found it out
myself, and I tried to point it out to you."
"But it is horrible!" she cried. "I will not believe it. I will not
yield to such things. I will not be coward enough to give up a
friend for such a motive!"
"I know the feeling," said Montague. "I'd stand by you, if it were
another man than Stanley Ryder. But I know him better than you, I
believe."
"You don't, Allan, you can't!" she protested.
Pages:
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110