"Could you put me in touch with that lovely young lady who asked the question, so I can give her a more thorough answer over dinner?"

Said Herman Cain, allegedly, after a speech in Egypt.

This new allegation isn't a claim of sexual harassment, but the active pursuit of relationships with women. Does it fit a pattern in the allegations? I would distinguish the allegations — reported without names and details — that involved his employees. These have to do with making the workplace different for women, a species of sex discrimination in the legal doctrine.

The incident described by Sharon Bialek, like this new one, occurred outside of the workplace, and might be construed as dating. The Bialek allegation involves aggressive groping, which is missing in this new allegation. And it involves a statement that suggests that her effort to enlist his help in finding a job depends on her sexual compliance. So the Bialek allegation has more negative elements than this new one.

But the allegations fit together enough to make us suspect that there is some kind of a pattern. There is a reinforcing effect as these allegations pile up. Our suspicions grow, even if we can imagine a scheme to concoct a bunch of phony stories to ruin the man — a vast left-wing conspiracy, if you will.