At the moment of her departure he could prevaricate no longer, and, confessing to the gambling, told her the truth as far as he knew it--that the guineas had been won by Wildeve.
If you prevaricate, you avoid giving a direct answer or making a firm decision. British ministers continued to prevaricate. + prevarication prevarications pre·vari·ca·tion After months of prevarication, the political decision had at last been made. to try to hide the truth by not answering questions directly (past participle of praevaricari , from varicari )
To shift or turn from one side to the other, from the direct course, or from truth; to speak with equivocation; to shuffle; to quibble; as, he prevaricates in his statement