nerves becoming
just a little tense under the strain of the silence.

"I am glad you were kind enough to ask me that," he went on. "The
subject is a very difficult one for me to introduce--very
difficult. I come as an emissary of the estate, I might say as one of
the executors under the will of Mr. Kane's father. I know how keenly
your--ah--how keenly Mr. Kane feels about it. I know how
keenly you will probably feel about it. But it is one of those very
difficult things which cannot be helped--which must be got over
somehow. And while I hesitate very much to say so, I must tell you
that Mr. Kane senior stipulated in his will that unless,
unless"--again his eyes were moving sidewise to and fro--"he
saw fit to separate from--ah--you" he paused to get
breath--"he could not inherit this or any other sum or, at least,
only a very minor income of ten thousand a year; and that only on
condition that he should marry you." He paused again. "I should add,"
he went on, "that under the will he was given three years in which to
indicate his intentions. That time is now drawing to a close."

He paused, half expecting some outburst of feeling from Jennie, but
she only looked at him fixedly, her eyes clouded with surprise,
distress, unhappiness. Now she understood. Lester was sacrificing his
fortune for her. His recent commercial venture was an effort to
rehabilitate himself, to put himself in an independent position. The
recent periods of preoccupation, of subtle unrest, and of
dissatisfaction over which she had grieved were now explained. He was
unhappy, he was brooding over this prospective loss, and he had never
told her. So his father had really disinherited him!

Mr. O'Brien sat before her, troubled himself. He was very sorry for
her, now that he saw the expression of her face. Still the truth had
to come out. She ought to know.

"I'm sorry," he said, when he saw that she was not going to make
any immediate reply, "that I have been the bearer of such unfortunate
news. It is a very painful situation that I find myself in at this
moment, I assure you. I bear you no ill will personally--of
course you understand that. The family really bears you no ill will
now--I hope you believe that. As I told your--ah--as I
told Mr. Kane, at the time the will was read, I considered it most
unfair, but, of course, as a mere executive under it and counsel for
his father, I could do nothing. I really think it best that you should
know how thi