d it is not easy to do--honestly. Nobody
wants people without capital whose only stock in trade is a brief but
distinguished military career, and a large experience of African fever."

Alan groaned at this veracious but discouraging remark, and she went on
quickly:

"I mean to spend another guinea upon my friend the lawyer at Kingswell.
Perhaps he can raise the wind, by a post-obit, or something," she added
vaguely, "I mean a post-uncle-obit."

"If he does, Barbara, I can't live on your money alone, it isn't right."

"Oh! don't you trouble about that, Alan. If once I can get hold of those
dim thousands you will soon be able to make more, for unto him that hath
shall be given. But at present they are very dim, and for all I know may
be represented by stock in deceased companies. In short, the financial
position is extraordinarily depressed, as they say in the Market
Intelligence in _The Times_. But that's no reason why we should be
depressed also."

"No, Barbara, for at any rate we have got each other."

"Yes," she answered, springing up, "we have got each other, dear, until
Death do us part, and somehow I don't think he'll do that yet awhile;
it comes into my heart that he won't do that, Alan, that you and I are
going to live out our days. So what does the rest matter? In two years
I shall be a free woman. In fact, if the worst comes to the worst, I'll
defy them all," and she set her little mouth like a rock, "and marry you
straight away, as being over age, I can do, even if it costs me every
halfpenny that I've got."

"No, no," he said, "it would be wrong, wrong to yourself and wrong to
your descendants."

"Very well, Alan, then, we will wait, or perhaps luck will come our
way--why shouldn't it? At any rate for my part I never felt so happy in
my life; for, dear Alan, we have found what we were born to find, found
it once and for always, and the rest is mere etceteras. What would be
the use of all the gold of the Asiki people that Jeekie was talking
about last night, to either of us, if we had not each other? We can
get on without the wealth, but we couldn't get on apart, or at least I
couldn't and I don't mind saying so."

"No, my darling, no," he answered, turning white at the very thought,
"we couldn't get on apart--now. In fact I don't know how I have done so
so long already, except that I was always hoping that a time would
come when we shouldn't be apart. That is why I went into that infernal
business,