"And, though I am here, you will trust me just the same," I said, as
firmly as I could.

"Of course. I'll trust you, if--"

"If what?"

"If you'll tell me just one little, tiny thing: that you're not going to
see Maxine de Renzie."

"I may see her," I admitted.

"But--but at least, you're not going on purpose?"

This drove me into a corner. Without being disloyal to the Foreign
Secretary, I could not deny all personal desire to meet Maxine. Yet to
what suspicion was I not laying myself open in confessing that I
deliberately intended to see her, having sworn by all things a man does
swear by when he wishes to please a girl, that I didn't wish to see
Maxine, and would not see Maxine?

"You said you'd trust me, Di," I reminded her. "For Heaven's sake don't
break that promise."

"But--if you're breaking a promise to me?"

"A promise?"

"Worse, then! Because I didn't ask you to promise. I had too much faith
in you for that. I believed you when you said you didn't care