"Once and for all, I forbid it!" snapped my lord, trying to disengagehimself from O'Hara's grip.
Miles leant over him.
"See here, me boy, if ye don't keep a still tongue in your head, it'smeself that'll be gagging you, and that's that!"
My lord swore at him.
Diana laid a gentle hand on his arm.
"Please, John! Please be still! Why should not Mr. Carstares speak?"
"You don't know what he would do!" fumed Jack.
"In fact, Miss Beauleigh, Sir Miles and Andrew are completely in thedark," drawled the Duke. "Shall I tell the tale, Richard?"
"Thank you, I shall not require your assistance," was the coldrejoinder. "But I must ask you to be quiet, John."
"I will not! You must n--"
"That will do," decided O'Hara, and placed a relentless hand over hismouth. "Go on, Carstares!"
"For the sake of Miss Beauleigh, I will tell you that seven years ago mybrother and I went to a card-party. I cheated. He took the blame. He hasborne it ever since because I was too much a coward to confess. That isall I have to say."
"'Twas for that ye wanted to see me on Friday?" shot out O'Hara.
Richard nodded, dully.
"Yes, I was going to tell you then."
"H'm! I'm glad ye had decided to play the man's part for once!"
With a furious oath Jack wrenched himself free and rounded on hisfriend.
"You take too much upon yourself, O'Hara!"
He rose unsteadily and walked to Richard's side.
"Dick has told you much, but not all. You none of you know the reasonswe had for acting as we did. But you know him well enough to believethat it needed very strong reasons to induce him to allow me take theblame. If anyone has aught to say in the matter, I shall be glad if hewill say it to me--now!" His eyes flashed menacingly as they swept thecompany, and rested for an instant on O'Hara's unyielding countenance.Then he turned and held out his hand to his brother with his ownpeculiarly wistful smile.
"Can you bear to speak to me?" muttered Richard, with face averted.
"Gad, Dick, don't be ridiculous!" He grasped the unwilling hand. "Youwould have done the same for me!"
Andrew pressed forward.
"Well, I can see no use in raking up old scores! After all, what does itmatter? It's buried and finished. Here's my hand on it, Dick! Lord! Icouldn't turn my back on the man I've lived on for years!" He laughedirrepressibly, and wrung Richard's hand.
My lord's eyes were on O'Hara, pleading. Reluctantly the Irishman cameforward.
"'Tis only fair to tell you, Richard, that I can't see eye to eye withAndrew, here. However, I'm not denying that I think a good deal betterof ye now than I did--seven years ago."
Richard looked up eagerly.
"You never believed him guilty?"
O'Hara laughed.
"Hardly!"