ez as though I were his wife."

"No, no! you shouldn't say so. You've no right to say so."

"But I have given you a promise, and I certainly will keep it. If
we must be unhappy, still we need not,--need not quarrel; need we,
papa?" Then she came up to him and kissed him,--whereupon he went out
of the room wiping his eyes.

That evening he again spoke to her, saying merely a word. "I think,
my dear, we'll have it fixed that we go on the 30th. Sir Alured
seemed to wish it."

"Very well, papa;--I shall be quite ready."

CHAPTER XIV

A Lover's Perseverance

Ferdinand Lopez learned immediately through Mrs. Roby that the early
departure for Herefordshire had been fixed. "I should go to him and
speak to him very plainly," said Mrs. Roby. "He can't bite you."

"I'm not in the least afraid of his biting me."

"You can talk so well! I should tell him everything, especially about
money,--which I'm sure is all right."

"Yes,--that is all right," said Lopez, smiling.

"And about your people."

"Which I've no doubt you think is all wrong."

"I don't know anything about it," said Mrs. Roby, "and I don't much
care. He has old-world notions. At any rate you should say something,
so that he should not be able to complain to her that you had kept
him in the dark. If there is anything to be known, it's much better
to have it known."

"But there is nothing to be known."

"Then tell him nothing;--but still tell it to him. After that you
must trust to her. I don't suppose she'd go off with you."

"I'm sure she wouldn't."

"But she's as obstinate as a mule. She'll get the better of him
if you really mean it." He assured her that he really did mean
it, and determined that he would take her advice as to seeing, or
endeavouring to see, Mr. Wharton once again. But before doing so he
thought it to be expedient to put his house into order, so that he
might be able to make a statement of his affairs if asked to do so.
Whether they were flourishing or the reverse, it might be necessary
that he should have to speak of them,--with, at any rate, apparent
candour.

The reader may, perhaps, remember that in the month of April
Ferdinand Lopez had managed to extract a certain signature from his
unfortunate city friend, Sexty Parker, which made that gentleman
responsible for the payment of a considerable sum of money before
the end of July. The transaction had been one of an unmixed painful
nature to Mr. Parker. As soon as he