he had been holding firmly between his knees, swiftly unfastened the straps and unlatched it, and took out a few sheets of flaming, yellow paper covered with notations in a fine, minute hand:
“Monsieur—” he began, clearing his throat, and rattling the flimsy sheets impressively—“Monsieur, I s’ink”—he looked up at Starwick ingratiatingly, but with an air of sly insinuation, “—Monsieur, I s’ink, perhaps, vas”—he shrugged his shoulders slightly, with an air of deprecation—“Monsieur vas—drink-ing?”
Starwick made no answer for a moment: his face reddened, he inclined his head, and said coldly, but unconcedingly:
“Oui! C’est ça, monsieur!”
“Ah-h!” the little Frenchman cried again with a dry little cackle of satisfaction—“—an’ven one drink—espeecialee, monsieur, ven ve are yong,” he laughed ingratiatingly again, “—he sometime do an’say some t’ings zat he regret—eh?”
“But of course!” cried Elinor at this point, quickly, impatiently, eagerly. “That’s just the point! Frank was drinking—the whole thing happened like a flash—it’s all over now—we’re sorry—everyone is sorry:—it was a regrettable mistake—we’re sorry for it—we apologize!”
“But not at all!” cried Starwick, reddening angrily, and looking resentfully towards Elinor. “Not at all! I do not agree with you!”
“Oh, Frank, you idiot, be quiet! Let me handle this,” she cried. Turning to the little Frenchman, she said swiftly, smoothly, with all her coaxing and formidable persuasiveness:
“Monsieur, what can we do to remedy this regrettable mistake?”
“Comment?” said the Frenchman, in a puzzled tone.
“Monsieur Starwick,” Elinor went on with coaxing persuasion, “—Monsieur Starwick—comme vous voyez, monsieur—est très jeune. Il a toutes les fautes de la jeunesse. Mais il est aussi un homme de grand esprit; de grand talent. Il a le tempérament d’un artiste: d’un homme de génie. Comme un Français, monsieur, vous,” she went on flatteringly "—vous connaissez cette espèce d’hommes. Vous savez qu’ils ne sont pas toujours responsables de leurs actes. C’est comme ça avec Monsieur Starwick. Il est de bonne cœur, de bonne volonté: il est honnête, généreux et sincère, mais il est aussi plein de tempérament—impulsif:—il manque de jugement. Hier soir nous avons tous—comme on dit—fait la noce ensemble. Monsieur Starwick a bu beaucoup—a bu trop—et il a été coupable d’une chose regrettable. Mais aujourd’hui il se repent très sincèrement de sa conduite.
