'Yes, we have; and not very pleasantly; at least, I mean, not with pleasant result.'
'Well, in brief, she says she has made Marie promise her, as you know, and she means to keep Marie to her promise.'
'Under the circumstances I cannot stay here. I cannot sleep another night in this house.'
'If what I tell you is absurd, then you will have no choice but to think me absurd. I intend leaving this house to-night. My mother has made up her mind never to give Marie back her promise; at this time I can see no chance, however remote, of changing my mind. How then can I stay here, under my mother's roof, near Marie? When we came here together it was as two who were going to be married with the approval of my mother. Now that is changed. My mother not only no longer approves, but positively forbids our marriage. It is impossible for me to live under this roof as the accepted lover of Marie, when my mother has said in effect that I shall never be anything but a lover until I change certain opinions which I now see no chance of altering. Honestly, Nevill, you cannot say any other course is open to me; can you?'
'I own it is a very perplexing case, and I find myself in an exceedingly awkward position; for while all my sympathy is with you, I must remember your mother is Kate's mother too.'
'My dear Nevill, I can fully appreciate the difficulty of the situation, and I beg of you to say or do nothing about the matter to anyone after this talk. Of course you will tell Kate all I have told you. What a change since last evening. We had arranged the day. And now I do not know what is to become of us.'
'No; nor do I intend meeting her in private before I leave. How could I meet her here, under my mother's roof, and tell her that I was, because of her presence, obliged to quit my mother's roof? It would be painful and humiliating and useless. No; I shall leave at once. I will write a few lines, and go back to London to-night. When I get there I shall decide what further course I may follow.'
'But she may take queer notions into her head, George, when she finds you are gone.'
'She may, but I hope she will not. I think I may leave a good deal to her common-sense.'
'And have you no idea of what your ultimate course will be?'