The Honour of His House by Fred M. White

It seemed to Philip that his eyes were growing clearer now. The problem began to straighten itself out before him, and he marvelled that he had not seen it all before. He had before him a vivid vision of the ghastly night at Borne Abbey when Sherringborne had collapsed and half his secret had been spoken.

Beyond all question, it had been worse than Philip had anticipated. He had guessed early on that Sherringborne had done a foolish thing, but till now he had not been aware that the Foreign Secretary had troden very closely on the heel of political indiscretion. It was no matter, of course, for a society scandal, but still, if all the facts came to light, not only would Sherringborne's political career be at an end, but he would come in for a large measure of social condemnation as well, in fact, just the thing that a certain section of the Press revels in.