Peter shrank up in his chair, utterly confounded by this last vagary on the part of the Time Cheques. He certainly would not have supposed that the mere presentation even of a "bearer" cheque by Sophia would entitle her to the same fifteen minutes he was receiving himself. He could only account for it by the fact that the two cheques were cashed simultaneously at two separate clocks; but even this explanation was not wholly satisfactory. He found his voice at last: "Well," he said, "now that you know all, what are you going to do about it, Sophia? I--I would rather know the worst!" "I will tell you that in good time," she replied; "but, first of all, I want you to tell me exactly how you came to have these cheques, and what use you made of them on previous occasions?" So, slightly reassured by her manner, which was composed, Peter gave her a plain unvarnished account of the way in which he had been led to deposit his extra time, and the whole story of his interviews with Miss Davenport. He did not mention any others, because he felt that the affair was quite complicated enough without dragging in extraneous and irrelevant matter. "I may have been imprudent," he concluded; "but I do assure you, Sophia, that in all the quarters of an hour I have had as yet, I never once behaved to that young lady in any capacity but that of a friend. I only went on drawing the cheques because I wanted a little change of air and scene now and then. You have no idea how it picked me up!" "I saw in what society it set you down, Peter!" was Sophia's chilling answer. "You--you mustn't think she is _always_ like that," he urged. "It took me quite by surprise--it was a most painful position for me. I think, Sophia, your own sense of fairness will acknowledge that, considering the awkwardness of my situation, I--I behaved as well as could be expected. You do admit that, don't you?" Sophia was silent for a minute or so before she spoke again. "I must have time to think, Peter," she said: "it is all so strange, so contrary to all my experience, that I can hardly see things as yet in their proper light. But I may tell you at once that, from what I was able to observe, and from all you have just told me, I am inclined to think that you are free from actual culpability in the matter. It was quite clear that that very forward girl was the principal throughout, and that you were nothing more than an unwilling and most embarrassed accessory." This was so much more lenient a view than he had dared to expect that Peter recovered his ordinary equanimity. "That was all," he said. "I am very glad you saw it, my dear. I was perfectly helpless!" "And then," said Sophia, "I was more than pleased by your firm refusal to commit suicide. What you said was so very sound and true, Peter." "I hope so," said Peter, with much complacency. "Yes, I was pretty firm with her! By the way," he added, "you--you didn't happen to see whether she really did jump overboard, I suppose?"