"It was nothing of the sort. I leave the lying to men practised in the art, like yourself. I saw the letter. I did not read it... but it was read to me. Had Nel's statement needed corroboration I had it in your own words. You are helping to stir up bad feeling among the Dutch. You are inciting the dissatisfied Boers to open rebellion--Heaven knows why!--or the devil, to whom Nel gives the credit of the direction of this affair. What you expect to gain by it personally is your secret, but you must realise that it is a hopeless business for them in any event. A handful of farmers can't fight a great organised nation with any hope of success." Holman smiled. "You are talking arrant nonsense, you know," he said. "If it wasn't such absolute nonsense it would be offensive. There was not a sentence in my letter to Krige that even hinted at rebellion; there is not a sentence in my letter--not a word, for that matter, that I could not explain satisfactorily if I recognised any necessity for an explanation. Nel didn't tell you, I suppose, while he was engaged in aspersing my character, that there is a feud of long standing between us which is principally of his making?" "He told me nothing," Matheson replied, "beyond what I have stated, and the further fact that you have been carrying on this underhand intrigue for years. What your game is remains to be seen. You have got some stake in this. It isn't just philanthropy and sympathy with the poor Boer that actuates you. Time will show, perhaps. In the meanwhile with men of Herman Nel's type in the country, I don't think you will accomplish much. As regards my own share in this, I can only say that your estimate of my intelligence as expressed in your letter would seem to fit I have been a fool. But you overestimated my complaisance--my conscience is not for purchase, however high the price." "You misread that," Holman said, not looking at him. "I don't deal in consciences. I fancied you were likely game to fall to the lovely Honor's charm. That was in my mind when I watched you fooling about with that girl on the beach. You will agree, I imagine, that I would be scarcely likely to engage in a dangerous intrigue in co-operation with a girl like Honor?" "I prefer," Matheson answered brusquely, "to leave Miss Krige's name out of this. I didn't, as a matter of fact, come here to discuss this ugly business, but merely to explain my reasons for not fulfilling my undertaking, and to return your advance, minus my travelling expenses. That," he said, rising and placing a note on the desk, "finishes everything between us." "As you will, of course." Holman made a gesture with his shoulders. "It seems useless for me to say anything. I don't attempt explanations twice. You have taken an outrageous tone and closed every door upon a possible understanding."