"A what!" shouted Sir Gambier. His wife winced. "Don't startle me, dear. And let the child say what she likes--I'm glad she has a theory to explain her actions." Strife muttered something unintelligible, but made no more interruptions. "Now tell me, Antoinette," said her mother, "exactly how long you have known this man--and what have you and he been doing together?" "Mother, I can't explain. I know it sounds deceitful and caddish and all that, but it--it wasn't. It was an adventure, just as I've said. I've _done_ something." The invalid smiled distantly. "When you are older you will realise the superiority of thought to action. The soul is built of thoughts--actions harden and coarsen it. But we won't discuss that now. Tell me how you and he got to know each other." "He was the man who was so splendid at East Grinstead station. He told me his name was Smith, because, of course, he didn't want me to know who he really was. Then I met him one morning when I was giving Prince a run in Swites Wood, and then another time when I'd punctured my bicycle, and...." "Go on, Antoinette." "Oh, you'll never understand. But he was so different from any one else I'd met. He spoke so differently--about such different things----" "I can imagine that." "But he wasn't horrid, mother--I swear he wasn't. He was very quiet, and interesting, and rather unhappy--and I liked him--I liked him awfully." Lady Strife did not speak, but her eyes were wide open. As for Sir Gambier, an unheard-of thing happened--he became sarcastic. "Oh, you liked him, did you? Found him a nice-mannered young fellow?--well-informed? I didn't know you were interested in the inner life of his Majesty's prisons." "Father!" cried Tony sharply. "Now, listen to me, dear," said her mother; "you are very young, and consequently very inexperienced. A grown-up person would at once have realised that this man's friendship for you could not be disinterested." "What do you mean?" "I mean that he's not the type of man who would naturally want to be the friend of a young and innocent girl like you. He must have had some ulterior motive in seeking your friendship. You have possibly seen no signs of that so far, but it would have been plain enough later." "I don't believe it." "Hush, dear. Your impertinence disconcerts me. I am trying to view the matter from the standpoint of pure thought, and how am I to do that if you keep on rudely interrupting me and dragging me down into the surge of human annoyance? You must take it from those older and more experienced than yourself that this man's motives in seeking your friendship could not have been disinterested. Besides, even suppose for the sake of argument that they were, don't you think you've been acting most disloyally to your father and me in associating with a man you know we disapprove of?"