Dare, turning to Havill, said, 'Thank you; you have done me a timely turn to-day.' 'What! had you hopes that way ?' asked Havill satirically.
'I! The woman that interests my heart has yet to be born,' said Dare, with a steely coldness strange in such a juvenile, and yet almost convincing.

'But though I have not personal hopes, I have an objection to this courtship.

Now I think we may as well fraternize, the situation being what it is ?' 'What is the situation ?' 'He is in your way as her architect; he is in my way as her lover: we don't want to hurt him, but we wish him clean out of the neighbourhood.' 'I'll go as far as that,' said Havill.
'I have come here at some trouble to myself, merely to observe: I find I ought to stay to act.' 'If you were myself, a married man with people dependent on him, who has had a professional certainty turned to a miserably remote contingency by these events, you might say you ought to act; but what conceivable difference it can make to you who it is the young lady takes to her heart and home, I fail to understand.' 'Well, I'll tell you--this much at least.

I want to keep the place vacant for another man.' 'The place ?' 'The place of husband to Miss Power, and proprietor of that castle and domain.' 'That's a scheme with a vengeance.

Who is the man ?' 'It is my secret at present.' 'Certainly.' Havill drew a deep breath, and dropped into a tone of depression.