then,
that it meant, if Jacob Delafield could see in my future any promises of
success sufficient to warrant him in accepting me as his son-in-law, no
woman living ought to hesitate to trust me with her hand. He was the
Squire of the town, and as such entitled to respect, but he was also
something more, as you will presently discover. His answer to my plea
was:

"'Well, how much money have you to show?'

"Now I had none. My salary as cashier of a small country bank was not
large, and my brother's prolonged sickness and subsequent death,
together with my own somewhat luxurious habits, had utterly exhausted
it. I told him so, but added that I had, somewhere up among the hills,
an old maiden aunt who had promised me five thousand dollars at her
death; and that as she was very ill at that time--hopelessly so, her
neighbors thought--in a few weeks I should doubtless be able to satisfy
him with the sight of a sum sufficient to start us in housekeeping, if
no more.

"He nodded at this, but gave me no distinct reply. 'Let us wait,' said
he.

"But youth is not inclined to wait. I considered my cause as good as
won, and began to make all my preparations accordingly. With a feverish
impatience which is no sign of true love, I watched the days go by, and
waited for, if I did not anticipate, the death which I fondly imagined
would make all clear. At last it came, and I went again into Mr.
Delafield's presence.

"'My aunt has just died,' I announced, and stood waiting for the short,
concise,

"'Go ahead, then, my boy!' which I certainly expected.

"Instead of that, he gave me a queer inexplicable smile, and merely
said, 'I want to see the greenbacks, my lad. No color so good as green,
not even the black upon white of 'I promise to pay.'

"I went back to my desk in the bank, chagrined. Ona had told me a few
days before that she was tired of waiting, that the young doctor from
the next town was very assiduous in his attentions, and as there was no
question as to his ability to support a wife, why--she did not finish
her sentence, but the toss of her head and her careless tone at parting,
were enough to inflame the jealousy of a less easily aroused nature than
mine. I felt that I was in hourly danger of losing her, and all because
I could not satisfy her father with a sight of the few thousands which
were so soon to be mine.

"The reading of my aunt's will, which confirmed my hopes, did not
greatly improve matters. 'I want