"There's only one thing I want to know," I went on, following up my advantage, "and you needn't tell me that if you would rather not." She made a slight movement of her head, as if wishing me to continue. "How long have you been friends with Dr. Manning?" I put the question quite bluntly, and I saw the faintest possible flush come into her face. "I am not a friend of Dr. Manning's," she answered. "I dislike him intensely. If the choice rested with me, I should never see him again." "We appear to have one taste in common at all events," I remarked with approval. "What do you know about him?" She brought out the words almost reluctantly, as though half afraid of making some unwelcome discovery. "I know very little at present," I admitted, "but I hope that by to-morrow we shall be much better acquainted. I have asked him to dinner with me this evening, and he will probably spend the night on the island." If anything, my answer seemed to increase her misgivings. "He is staying with you? He is going to sleep in the house?" "Why, yes," I said. "There's nowhere else he can sleep, unless I put him in the kennel. That would certainly be the best place, but, unfortunately, my dog has taken rather a dislike to him." In spite of her apparent anxiety the corners of her lips quivered into a smile. "If you mistrust him so much, what made you invite him to the island?" "I thought it would be a kind action," I explained. "I suppose you know that he has a special reason for being interested in my affairs?" She looked at me curiously. "What do you mean? What reason?" "Well, to be quite exact, there are two of them," I said. "In the first place, he's the family physician. He came over and stayed in the house when my uncle was taken ill, and looked after him until he died." "But you never told me that." Christine was leaning forward again, with a queer excitement that she made no attempt to conceal. "We've had so little time for exchanging confidences," I objected. "Anyhow, he did come, and, what's more, he seems to have fallen in love with the place. At least, ever since then he has been making me the most sporting and generous offers, which Mr. Drayton says I'm a fool not to accept." "He is trying to buy the island?" "That's the notion," I said, nodding. "According to his own account, he wants to start a new yachting club." I paused. "Of course, it may be so," I added, "but do you know, Christine, at the back of my mind I've a nasty, uncharitable feeling that he isn't telling me the truth." For a moment we sat silent. There was a strange expression upon Christine's face, as though she were beginning to understand something which up till then had baffled and perplexed her. "Mr. Dryden," she said slowly, "for your own sake I am going to be quite honest with you. Until we came down here I had no idea that such a person as Dr. Manning existed."