Mr. Waddington's confession to Sir John was about the only statement relating to the Waddington affair which did not go any further. Thus a very curious and interesting report of it reached Ralph Bevan through Colonel Grainger, when he heard for the first time of the part Barbara had played in it. In the story Elise had told in strict confidence to Miss Gregg, Mr. Waddington had been deadly afraid of her and had beaten a cowardly retreat behind Barbara's big guns. Not that either Elise or Miss Gregg would have admitted for one moment that her guns were big; Colonel Grainger had merely inferred the deadliness of her fire from the demoralization of the enemy. "Your little lady, Bevan," he said, "seems to have come off best in that encounter." "We needn't worry any more about the compact, Barbara, now I know about it," Ralph said, as they walked together. Snow had fallen. The Cotswolds were all white, netted with the purplish brown filigree-work of the trees. Their feet went crunching through the furry crystals of the snow. "No. That's one good thing she's done." "Was it very funny, your scrap?" "It seemed funnier at the time than it did afterwards. It was really rather beastly. Fanny didn't like it." "You could hardly expect her to. There's a limit to Fanny's sense of humour." "There's a limit to mine. Fanny was right. I had to fight her with the filthiest weapons. I had to tell her she couldn't do anything because he was Waddington of Wyck, and she was up against all his ancestors. I had to drag in his ancestors." "That was bad." "I know it was. It's what Fanny hated. And no wonder. She made me feel such a miserable little snob, Ralph." "Fanny did?" "Yes. _She_ couldn't have done it. She'd have let her do her damnedest." "That's because Fanny's an incurable little aristocrat. She's got more Waddington of Wyckedness in her little finger than Horatio has in all his ego; and she despises Mrs. Levitt. She wouldn't have condescended to scrap with her." "The horrible thing is, it's true. He can do what he likes and nothing happens to him. He can turn the Ballingers out of their house and nothing happens. He can make love to a woman who doesn't want to be made love to and nothing happens. Because he's Waddington of Wyck." "He's Waddington of Wyck, but he isn't such a bad old thing, really. People laugh at him, but they like him because he's so funny. And they've taken Mrs. Levitt's measure pretty accurately." "You don't think, then, I was too big a beast to her?" Ralph laughed. "Somebody had to save him, Ralph. After all, he's Fanny's husband." "Yes, after all, he's Fanny's husband." "So you don't--do you?" "Of course I don't.... What's he doing now?" "Oh, just pottering about with his book. It's nearly finished." "You've kept it up?"