She watched him with bewildered astonishment.
He reached for his hat, bowed again, and went.
8
Susie could not persuade herself that Haddo's regret was sincere. The
humility of it aroused her suspicion. She could not get out of her mind
the ugly slyness of that smile which succeeded on his face the first
passionate look of deadly hatred. Her fancy suggested various dark means
whereby Oliver Haddo might take vengeance on his enemy, and she was at
pains to warn Arthur. But he only laughed.
'The man's a funk,' he said. 'Do you think if he'd had anything in him at
all he would have let me kick him without trying to defend himself?'
Haddo's cowardice increased the disgust with which Arthur regarded him.
He was amused by Susie's trepidation.
'What on earth do you suppose he can do? He can't drop a brickbat on my
head. If he shoots me he'll get his head cut off, and he won't be such an
ass as to risk that!'
Margaret was glad that the incident had relieved them of Oliver's
society. She met him in the street a couple of days later, and since
he took off his hat in the French fashion without waiting for her to
acknowledge him, she was able to make her cut more pointed.
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