'The word's ill chosen. It ill becomes me to play the part of mentor after the way in which I've just behaved, but--suppose Twickenham were to turn up?' 'It would be pretty bad.' 'If that were all! I doubt if he'd give you a penny: as for me, he'd laugh me to scorn. You and I'd be beggars. Would it be chivalrous to drag the women into the ditch with us?' 'But Twickenham's dead.' We've no proof of it. We've been looking for proof for some time. A pretty penny the search has cost us.' 'What makes you talk like this? You've seemed convinced enough about his being dead. You've gone Nap on it.' 'Precisely. And I'm now inclined to wonder if I haven't gone Nap on a pretty bad hand.' 'Surely you don't believe any of that stuff about my aunt's dreams?' 'Your aunt's dreams are neither here nor there. But between ourselves, I tell you candidly that I think it's quite possible that Twickenham's alive.' 'Good God! What have you heard?' 'I have heard nothing. By the purest accident I have chanced on what may turn out to be a clue. If it does, you shall hear more next week. At present I can tell you nothing.' 'Douglas, where is he?' 'You move too fast. I believe that it's still even betting that Twickenham's as dead as a coffin nail. But you will see for yourself why you and I should not pose as being too chivalrous, and especially why you should sleep upon the matter before having another interview with Vi. Good-night.' I left him staring after me in Piccadilly. I was afraid of his asking inconvenient questions, just as I had been afraid of not saying anything at all. I might have lighted on a mare's nest, but in case I had not, it only seemed fair that he should have some sort of warning, so that the bolt might not descend on him altogether out of the blue. Violet met me as soon as I entered the hall. 'Well, what has happened?' I led the way back into the drawing-room, feeling indisposed to discuss delicate matters within quite such obvious sound of the servants' ears. 'I don't know that anything has happened.' 'Is Reggie going to marry Mary Magruder?' 'He says not.' 'Who is he going to marry?' 'He says he's going to marry you.' 'Douglas! In spite of Lady Desmond's prohibition? I suppose she did prohibit it?' 'Oh, yes, she did that right enough. But he did not seem disposed to lay much stress upon Lady Desmond's prohibition; as you probably expected.' I was convinced that she would have been a surprised young woman if he had paid attention to anything his aunt might have had to say on such a matter. 'At the same time, if you will take my advice, you won't attach weight to anything Reggie may have said, either one way or the other. I, for instance, have promised to marry Edith--again in the face of Lady Desmond's prohibition. But I think it possible that, before very long, neither he nor I may be in a position to marry any one.' 'Do you think that want of money will make any difference to Edith or to me?'