"How do you know ?" "Archie met Sir Frank the other day, and learned as much." "What ?" Braddock struck a tragic attitude.

"Do you mean to say that those two young men speak to one another ?" "Yes.

Why not?
They are friends." "Oh!" Braddock became roguish again.

"I fancied they were lovers of a certain young lady who is in this room." By this time Lucy was beginning to guess what her step-father was aiming at, and grew correspondingly angry.
"Archie is my sole lover now," she remarked stiffly.

"Sir Frank knows that we are engaged and is quite ready to be the friend of us both." "And he calls that love.