You must use all your influence with my father in my interests, and use
it discreetly and perseveringly," he whispered.

"But I have no influence. Never was the young wife of an old man--and I
am young in comparison to him--treated so harshly. I am not his pet; I
am his slave!" she complained.

"But you must obtain influence over him. You can do that. You are with
him night and day when he is not at his business. You are his
shadow--beg pardon, I ought to have said his sunshine."

"I am his slave, I tell you."

"Then be his humble, submissive, obedient slave; betray no
disappointment, discontent, or impatience at your lot. The harsher he
is, the humbler must you be; the more despotic he becomes, the more
subservient you must seem. Make yourself so perfectly complying in all
his moods that he shall believe you to be the very 'perfect rose of
womanhood,' more excellent even than he thought when he married you, and
so as he grows older and weaker in mind as well as body you will gain
not only influence but ascendency over him, and these you must use in my
interest."

"But how? I don't understand."

"Pay attention, then, and you will understand Mr. Rockharrt is aged. In
the course of nature he must soon pass away. Fie has made no will.
Should he die intestate, the whole property, by the laws of this
commonwealth, would fall to pieces; that is to say, it would be divided
into three parts--one-third would go to you--"

Rose started, caught her breath, and stared at the speaker; the greed of
gain dilating her great blue eyes. The third of the Rockharrt's fabulous
wealth to be hers at her husband's death! Amazing! How many millions or
tens of millions would that be? Incredible! And all for her, and she
with, perhaps, half a century of life to live and enjoy it! What a
vista!

"Why do you stare at me so?" demanded Mr. Fabian.

"Because I was so surprised. That is not the law in England. In England
there are usually what are called marriage settlements, which make a
suitable provision for the wife, but leave the bulk of the property to
go to the children--generally to the oldest son."

"And such should be the law here, but it isn't; and so if my father
should die without having made a will, the great estate would break, as
I said, into three parts--one part would be yours, the other two parts
would be divided into three shares, to me, to my brother, and to the
heirs of my sister. The business at North End would probab