a fool of yourself she might as well get
the benefit of it as well as any other woman. Then she wrote to a
solicitor--and now you are in the devil of a scrape. I fancy that's the
history of the case, isn't it?"

"I wish you wouldn't talk about women in that sort of way, Governor!"
exclaimed Brook, by way of answer.

"Don't be an ass!" answered Sir Adam. "There are women one can talk
about in that way, and women one can't. Mrs. Crosby is one of the first
kind. I distinguish between 'women' and 'woman.' Don't you? Woman means
something to most of us--something a good deal better than we are, which
we treat properly and would cut one another's throats for. We sinners
aren't called upon to respect women who won't respect themselves. We are
only expected to be civil to them because they are things in petticoats
with complexions. Don't be an ass, Brook. I don't want to know what you
said to Mrs. Crosby, nor what she said to you, and you wouldn't be a
gentleman if you told me. That's your affair. But she's a woman with a
consumptive reputation that's very near giving up the ghost, and that
would have departed this life some time ago if Crosby didn't happen to
be a little worse than she is. She wants to get a divorce and marry my
son--and that's my affair. Do you remember the Arab and his slave?
'You've stolen my money,' said the sheikh. 'That's my business,'
answered the slave. 'And I'm going to beat you,' said the sheikh.
'That's your business,' said the slave. It's a similar case, you know,
only it's a good deal worse. I don't want to know anything that happened
before you two parted. But I've a right to know what Mrs. Crosby has
done since, haven't I? You don't care to marry her, do you, boy?"

"Marry her! I'd rather cut my throat."

"You needn't do that. Just tell me whether all this is mere talk, or
whether she has really been to the solicitor's. If she has, you know,
she will get her divorce without opposition. Everybody knows about
Crosby."

"It's true," said Brook. "I've just had a letter from her again. I wish
I knew what to do!"

"You can't do anything."

"I can refuse to marry her, can't I?"

"Oh--you could. But plenty of people would say that you had induced her
to get the divorce, and then had changed your mind. She'll count on
that, and make the most of it, you may be sure. She won't have a penny
when she's divorced, and she'll go about telling everybody that you have
ruined her. That won't be pleasant,