_I_ didn't think
so. And Dare doesn't now."
"How sweet of her!"
"She's turning sweet. That's partly what I was after. I wormed myself
into your brother's affections, to entice him to Paris. I wanted Dare to
learn that her _instinct_ about him was right; her instinct was always
defending him against what she thought was her reason and common sense.
Now, she sees that he's genuine, and she's secretly letting herself
go--admiring him and wondering at him to make up for her injustice."
"Are you telling all this to disarm me?"
"Not exactly. I'm telling you because I was sure you'd find out soon
what's going on, and because I thought an open policy best. As it is,
you can't say I haven't played fair from the word go."
"I wish," I cried out, "that the word _was_ 'go'!"
"You're not very kind, my dear."
"Why should I be kind?"
"Because I'm the stick of your rocket. You can't soar without me. And
because I love you such a lot."
"You!"
"Yes, I, me, Julian O'Farrell: Giulio di Napoli. Haven't I sacrificed my
prospects and my sister's prospects rather than throw you to the lions?
Didn't I waste those perfectly good snapshots? Didn't I sit tight,
protecting you silently, letting you have all I'd expected to have for
myself and Dare?"
I gasped. To speak was beyond my powers just then.
"I know what you'd like to say," Julian explained me to myself. "You'd
love to say: 'The d--d cheek of the man! It's _rich_!' Well, it is rich.
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