‘my Lord’ at every other step. But
you forget your limitations in this world, and that
which lives above you. You say you will do this
and that. You should study a book which few of
you ever read, where it tells you that you do not
know what you will be on the morrow; that your life
is even as a vapour appearing for a little time and
then vanishing away. You think that you can crush
the man to whom I have given my heart because he is
honest and you are dishonest, because you are rich
and he is poor, and because he chances to have succeeded
where you have not. Well, for myself and for
him I defy you. Do your worst and fail, and when
you have failed, in the hour of your extremity remember
my words to-day. If I have given you pain by
refusing you it is not my fault and I am sorry, but
when you threaten the man who has honoured me with
his love and whom I honour above every creature upon
the earth, then I threaten back, and may the Power
that made us all judge between you and me, as judge
it will,” and bursting into tears she turned
and left him.
Sir Robert watched her go.
“What a woman!” he said meditatively,
“what a woman—to have lost. Well
she has set the stakes and we will play out the game.
The cards all seem to be in my hands, but it would
not in the least surprise me if she won the rubber,
for the element that I call Chance and she would call
something else, may come in. Still, I never refused
a challenge yet and we will play the game out without
pity to the loser.”
That night the first trick was played. When he
got back to The Court Sir Robert ordered his motorcar
and departed on urgent business, either to his own
place, Old Hall, or to London, saying only that he
had been summoned away by telegram. As the 70-horse-power
Mercedes glided out of the gates a pencilled note
was put into Mr. Haswell’s hand.
It ran: “I have tried and failed—for
the present. By ill-luck A.V. had been before
me, only this morning. If I had not missed my
chance last night owing to your illness, it would
have been different. I do not, however, in the
least abandon my plan, in which of course I rely on
and expect your support. Keep V. in the office
or let him go as you like. Perhaps it would be
better if you could prevail upon him to stop there
until after the flotation. But whatever you say
at the moment, I trust to you to absolutely veto any
engagement between him and your niece, and to that
end to use all your powers and authority as her guardian.
Burn this note.
“R.A.”
MR. HASWELL LOSES HIS TEMPER
Alan and Barbara sat in Mr. Champers-Haswell’s
private sitting-room with the awful decorations, and
before them by the fire Mr. Champers-Haswell reclined
upon his couch. Alan in a few, brief, soldier-like
words had just informed him of his engagement to Barbara.
During the recital of this interesting fact Barbara
said nothing, but Mr. Haswell had whistled several
times. Now at length he spoke, in that tone of
forced geniality which he generally adopted towards
his cousin.
