And even while I was feeling that I must tell her all, and have done with it, tell her that I was her abject slave, and she my goddess, my queen; that in the face of such a love as mine no man could have any claim upon her; even then, there arose the still, small voice that began to call me an unfaithful steward and to remind me of a duty and trust that were sacred even beyond love.
In Fleet Street I hailed a cab, and, as I took my seat beside my fair companion, the voice began to wax and speak in bolder and sterner accents.
"Christopher Jervis," it said, "what is this that you are doing?
Are you a man of honour or nought but a mean, pitiful blackguard?
You, the trusted agent of this poor, misused gentleman, are you not planning in your black heart how you shall rob him of that which, if he is a man at all, must be more to him than his liberty, or even his honour?
Shame on you for a miserable weakling! Have done with these philanderings and keep your covenants like a gentleman--or, at least, an honest man!" At this point in my meditations Juliet turned towards me with a coaxing smile.
"My legal adviser seems to be revolving some deep and weighty matter," she said.
I pulled myself together and looked at her--at her sparkling eyes and rosy, dimpling cheeks, so winsome and lovely and lovable.
"Come," I thought, "I must put an end to this at once, or I am lost." But it cost me a very agony of effort to do it--which agony, I trust, may be duly set to my account by those who may sit in judgement on me.
"Your legal adviser, Miss Gibson," I said (and at that "Miss Gibson" I thought she looked at me a little queerly), "has been reflecting that he has acted considerably beyond his jurisdiction." "In what respect ?" she asked.
"In passing on to you information which was given to him in very strict confidence, and, in fact, with an implied promise of secrecy on his part." "But the information was not of a very secret character, was it ?" "More so than it appeared.

You see, Thorndyke thinks it so important not to let the prosecution suspect that he has anything up his sleeve, that he has kept even Mr.Lawley in the dark, and he has never said as much to me as Anstey did this morning." "And now you are sorry you told me; you think I have led you into a breach of trust.

Is it not so ?" She spoke without a trace of petulance, and her tone of dignified self-accusation made me feel a veritable worm.
"My dear Miss Gibson," I expostulated, "you entirely misunderstand me.

I am not in the least sorry that I told you.

How could I have done otherwise under the circumstances?
But I want you to understand that I have taken the responsibility of communicating to you what is really a professional secret, and that you are to consider it as such." "That was how I understood it," replied Juliet; "and you may rely upon me not to utter a syllable on the subject to anyone." I thanked her for this promise, and then, by way of making conversation, gave her an account in detail of Anstey's visit, not even omitting the incident of the cigar.
"And are Dr.Thorndyke's cigars so extraordinarily bad ?" she asked.
"Not at all," I replied; "only they are not to every man's taste.