A counsel of
perfection, no doubt, but Mark wished that he had followed it.
He was deeply wounded in the most sensitive part, but while admitting
his weakness in yielding to a commonplace temptation, he could make no
excuse for Carrissima's scandalous libel. An hour ago, she had been
the only woman in the world for him; as to Bridget--well, the old Adam
had cropped out for an instant. To account for his vulnerability one
must embark on a study of the theory of Evolution! If he had been
actually affianced to Carrissima, the case would, no doubt, have been
more serious, although even then there could be no justification for
her shameful accusation. But he was not affianced to her, and, in the
face of what he had just heard, he never wished to be.
Jimmy saw that Mark was deeply moved, and made a shrewd guess at the
cause. In a friendly way, he walked round the writing-table, and
standing by the side of the chair, rested a hand on the other's
shoulder.
"I shouldn't take it too seriously," he said. "You'll generally find
there's a way out somehow. You know I told you, to begin with, that I
knew it was an infernal lie!"
"But--you see--it wasn't," answered Mark.
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