Dare's eye was twisted comically upward.
'What does that mean ?' said Havill coldly, and with some amazement.
'Ho, ho, Havill! "Staunch friend" is good--especially after "an iconoclast and Vandal by blood"-- "monstrosity in the form of a Greek temple," and so on, eh!' 'Sir, you have the advantage of me.

Perhaps you allude to that anonymous letter ?' 'O-ho, Havill!' repeated the boy-man, turning his eyes yet further towards the zenith.

'To an outsider such conduct would be natural; but to a friend who finds your pocket-book, and looks into it before returning it, and kindly removes a leaf bearing the draft of a letter which might injure you if discovered there, and carefully conceals it in his own pocket--why, such conduct is unkind!' Dare held up the abstracted leaf.
Havill trembled.

'I can explain,' he began.
'It is not necessary: we are friends,' said Dare assuringly.
Havill looked as if he would like to snatch the leaf away, but altering his mind, he said grimly: 'Well, I take you at your word: we are friends.

That letter was concocted before I knew of the competition: it was during my first disgust, when I believed myself entirely supplanted.' 'I am not in the least surprised.