"No," Christopher answered brusquely. "Whether it makes any difference to you or no you've _got_ to listen, Frank. It's simply this. I happened to hear, a good time ago, that you had met Rachel. I knew that she had been to your rooms. I knew that you had corresponded. I should dismiss that man-servant of yours, Frank." Breton muttered something. "You might have told me yourself, Frank. You might, both of you, have told me. But never mind--it's all too late for that now. The point is that it was your grandmother that told me." "My God!" Breton cried. "She knows? She knew.... But there was nothing _to_ know. There was nothing anyone mightn't have known. If anyone dares to breathe a syllable against one of the purest, noblest ..." "Yes, yes. I know all that," Christopher answered. "But the thing is simply this. I don't know--she doesn't know exactly what the truth is between you and Rachel. All that she does know is that Rachel went to see you and wrote to you. Now Roddy Seddon isn't--or wasn't aware that his wife had ever met you. He holds the more or less traditional family point of view about you. I believe that, two or three days ago, the Duchess told him about Rachel's visits. I am not sure of this. I hope that by now Rachel herself has told her husband. But of that also I'm not sure. All I know is that it's our duty--your duty and my duty to save Rachel all the unhappiness we can, and still more to save Roddy. Remember the position he's in." Breton sprang to his feet. "Look here, Chris, I should have told you of all this long ago. I didn't know that you had heard. I wish to God I had spoken to you. But as Heaven is my witness, Rachel is a saint. I'm a miserable cur--a misery to myself and a misery to everyone else. But she----" "You've been fools, the couple of you," he answered sternly. "It's no use cursing now. I won't go and urge Rachel to tell Roddy--she must do that of her own free will--All our hands are tied. It depends upon the steps that Roddy takes, and after all the old lady may never have told him. But I've warned you, Frank. It's up to you to do the right thing." "What do you want me to do?" asked Breton. "I don't know what you can do. You must see for yourself--only, Frank," here Christopher's voice became softer, "by all our old friendship and by any affection that you may have left for me, I do conjure you to play fair by Rachel and her husband. Rachel is very, very young. Roddy is helpless----" "That's enough," Breton cried. "My God, Christopher, of you could realize the weeks I've been having you wouldn't think, perhaps, so badly of me. It's been more, I swear, than any mortal flesh can endure. I'm driven, driven--I'm at the end.... But she's safe from me, safe now and safe forever. And that now that old woman should step in--now." Christopher came and again put his arm on Breton's shoulder and held him up, it might seem, with more than physical strength.