my hand,' said I; 'there
they are.'

"His look of amazement was peculiar and ought to have given me warning;
but I was blinded by my infatuation and thought it no more than the
natural surprise incident to the occasion. 'I have been made to wait a
long time for your consent to my suit,' said I; 'may I hope that you
will now give me leave to press my claims upon your daughter?'

"He did not answer at once, but smiled, eying meanwhile the notes in my
hand with a fascinated gaze which instinctively warned me to return them
to my pocket. But I no sooner made a move indicative of that resolve,
than he thrust out his cold slim hand and prevented me. 'Let me see
them,' cried he.

"There was no reason for me to refuse so simple a request to one in Mr.
Delafield's position, and though I had rather he had not asked for the
notes, I handed them over. He at once seemed to grow taller. 'So this is
your start off in life,' exclaimed he.

"I bowed, and he let his eyes roam for a moment to my face. 'Many a man
would be glad of worse,' smiled he; then suavely, 'you shall have my
daughter, sir.'

"I must have turned white in my relief, for he threw his head back and
laughed in a low unmusical way that at any other time would have
affected me unpleasantly. But my only thought then, was to get the money
back and rush with my new hopes into the room from which came the low
ceaseless hum of his daughter's voice. But at the first movement of my
hand towards him, he assumed a mysterious air, and closing his fingers
over the notes, said:

"'These are yours, to do what you wish with, I suppose?'

"I may have blushed, but if I did, he took no notice. 'What I wish to do
with them,' returned I, 'is to shut them up in the bank for the present,
at least till Ona is my wife.'

"'Oh no, no, no, you do not,' came in easy, almost wheedling tones from
the man before me. 'You want to put them where they will double
themselves in two months.' And before I could realize to what he was
tempting me, he had me down before his desk, showing me letters,
documents, etc., of a certain scheme into which if a man should put a
dollar to-day, it would 'come out three and no mistake, before the year
was out. It is a chance in a thousand,' said he; 'if I had half a
million I would invest it in this enterprise to-day. If you will listen
to me and put your money in there, you will be a rich man before ten
years have passed over your head.'

"I was dazzled. I k