He knew it. He is a sensitive man in his way, he
would not force himself upon her if she did not want him. And,
as he withdrew, her love awoke. But they are both unusually
proud, and their pride held them inexorably apart. He drifted
into an entanglement with Mrs. Raikes, and she deliberately
cultivated the friendship of Dr. Bauerstein. Do you remember the
day of John Cavendish's arrest, when you found me deliberating
over a big decision?"
"Yes, I quite understood your distress."
"Pardon me, mon ami, but you did not understand it in the least.
I was trying to decide whether or not I would clear John
Cavendish at once. I could have cleared him--though it might
have meant a failure to convict the real criminals. They were
entirely in the dark as to my real attitude up to the very last
moment--which partly accounts for my success."
"Do you mean that you could have saved John Cavendish from being
brought to trial?"
"Yes, my friend. But I eventually decided in favour of 'a
woman's happiness'.
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