In an instant he recovered control of himself and freed one hand to dig it into his eyes and wipe away the evidence of his weakness. He was trying to smile.
"It's all right, sweetheart," he murmured. "We'll stick together. I'll see you through."
It seemed too wonderful to her to believe, and she was softly weeping tears of relief now, while he tried to comfort her. Soon she recovered also and was facing him bravely. Indeed she was the first to speak again.
"I cannot let you sacrifice yourself for me, Dudley. I am entirely to blame, as I have just told you. I will go to the policeman out there and confess. Let them put me in jail—I can stand anything now, now that I know you still love me—if only they will set you free."
"That would be foolish, dearest," he reasoned gently with her. "For one thing they would not believe you. And for the other a man can get along so much better in a—matter of this kind than a woman. Once you were mixed up in this, your name would be smirched forever, you would be finished. With me it is, different. Rao-Singh is not going to die—he can't. I shall get out of this all right, never fear."
She would have rushed out yet had he no€—seized her by the wrist.
"But, Dudley—" she began unconvinced.
