Very late that night there came a low knock at Hope's door. She was
lying awake, and she instantly started up on her elbow.
"Who is it?" she called.
The door opened softly, and Ronnie answered her.
"I thought you would like to say good-night, Hope," he said.
"Oh, come in, dear!" Hope sat up eagerly. She had not expected this
attention from Ronnie. "I'm wide awake. I'm so glad you came!"
He slipped into the room, and, reaching her, bent to kiss her; then, as
she clung closely to him, he sat down on the edge of her bed.
"I'm sorry Hyde annoyed you," he said.
She leaned her head against him, and was silent.
"It'll be a good thing for you when you're married," Ronnie went on
presently. "Baring will take better care of you than I do."
Something in his tone went straight to her heart. Her clinging arms
tightened, but still she was silent. For what he said was unanswerable.
When he spoke again, she felt it was with an effort.
"Baring came round to-night to see you. I went out and spoke to him. I
told him you had gone to bed, and so he didn't come in. I was glad he
didn't. Hyde was there, and they don't hit it particularly well. In
fact--" he hesitated. "I would rather he didn't know Hyde was here.
Baring's a good chap--the best in the world. He's done no end for me;
more than I can ever tell you. But he's awfully hard in some ways. I
can't tell him everything. He doesn't always understand."
Again there sounded in his voice that faint, wistful note that so smote
upon Hope's heart. She drew nearer to him, her cheek against his
shoulder.
"Oh, Ronnie," she said, and her voice quivered passionately, "never
think that of me, dear! Never think that I can't understand!"
He kissed her forehead.
"Bless you, old girl!" he whispered huskily.
"My marriage will make no difference--no difference," she insisted. "You
and I will still be to each other what we have always been. There will
be the same trust between us, the same confidence. Rather than lose
that, I will never marry at all!"
She spoke with vehemence, but Ronnie was not carried away by it.
"Baring will have the right to know all your secrets," he said gloomily.
"Oh, no, no!" exclaimed Hope impulsively. "He would never expect that.
He knows that we are twins, and there is no tie in the world that is
quite like that."
Ronnie was silent, but she felt that it was not the silence of
acquiescence. She took him by the shoulders and made him face her.
"Ronnie," she said very earnestly, "if you will only tell me things, and
let me help you where I can, I swear to you--I swear to you most
solemnly--that I will never betray your confidence to Monty, or to any
one else: I know that he would never ask it of me; but even if he
did--even if he did--I would not do it." She spoke so steadfastly, so
loyally, that he was strongly moved. He thrust his arm boyishly round
her.
"All right, dear old girl, I trust you," he said. "I'll tell you all
about it. As I see you have guessed, there is a bit of a scrape; but it
will be all right in two or three weeks. I've been a fool, and got into
debt again. Baring helped me out once. That's partly why I'm so
particularly anxious that he shouldn't get wind of it this time. Fact
is, I'm very much in Hyde's power for the time being. But, as I say, it
will be all right before long. I've promised to ride his Waler for the
Ghantala Valley Cup next month. It's a pretty safe thing, and if I pull
it off, as I intend to do, everything will be cleared, and I shall be
out of his hands. It's a sort of debt of honour, you see. I can't get
out of it, but I shall be jolly glad when it's over. We'll chuck him
then, if he isn't civil. But till then I'm more or less helpless. So
you'll do your best to tolerate him for my sake, won't you?"
A great sigh rose from Hope's heart, but she stifled it. Hyde's attitude
of insolent power was explained to her, and she would have given all she
had at that moment to have been free to seek Baring's advice.
"I'll try, dear," she said. "But I think the less I see of him the
better it will be. Are you quite sure of winning the Cup?"
"Oh, quite," said Ronnie, with confidence. "Quite. Do you remember the
races we used to have when we were kids? We rode barebacked in those
days. You could stick on anything. Remember?"
Yes, Hope remembered; and a sudden, almost fierce regret surged up
within her.
"Oh, Ronnie," she said, "I wish we were kids still!"
He laughed at her softly, and rose.
"I know better," he said; "and so does Baring. Good-night, old girl!
Sleep well!"
And with that he left her. But Hope scarcely slept till break of day.