"Did she come to see you? And did you permit her to come?" I asked,
finding it my turn to be angry.
"No, she did not come to see me, nor had I anything to do with her visit
to the Old Swan. She was eating dinner with Nell Gwynn, and--"
"Was she the duchess, of whom Betty told me?" I asked, interrupting him.
"Yes, the Duchess of Hearts, as I hear she has been dubbed at court," he
answered, with an angry gleam in his eyes and a sharp note of contempt in
his voice.
"And was it for her you fought?" I asked, feeling as though I was reading
a page from a story-book. "Betty told me about it, but you tell me,
please?"
"Betty usually exhausts a subject, so there is no need to tell you about
the fight," he said. "It was really a small affair, and my wounds are
nothing to speak of. I suffered more from other causes."
"Yes, yes, George. Tell me all about it," I returned, drawing my chair
nearer to him. "I fear a mistake has been made, a misunderstanding of
some sort, though I cannot imagine even the sort. Now, tell me."
"I came up from Sheerness on a Dutch boat and landed at Deptford
yesterday morning," he began hesitatingly. "After sending a messenger on
business in which I was deeply interested, I came to the Old Swan to get
a bite to eat and to find a bed. While waiting in the tap-room for my
dinner, I recognized Nelly's laugh and went into the private dining room
to see her, hoping that she might drop a word concerning another person.
Pages:
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133