rstand; though I think you explained somewhat a year
ago"--the poor gentleman gave it up. "I think she wanted to speak to
me--of any intentions I might have in regard to you--the day she was
here. Very nicely, very properly she'd have done it, I'm sure. I think
her idea was that I ought to make any settlement quite independent of
your marrying her or not marrying her. But I tried to convey to her--I
don't know whether she understood me--that I liked her too much for
that, I wanted too much to make sure of her."

"To make sure of me, you mean," said Nick. "And now after all you see
you haven't."

"Well, perhaps it was that," sighed the old man confusedly.

"All this is very bad for you--we'll talk again," Nick urged.

"No, no--let us finish it now. I like to know what I'm doing. I shall
rest better when I do know. There are great things to be done; the
future will be full--the future will be fine," Mr. Carteret wandered.

"Let me be distinct about this for Julia: that if we hadn't been
sundered her generosity to me would have been complete--she'd have put
her great fortune absolutely at my disposal," Nick said after a moment.
"Her consciousness of all that naturally carries her over any particular
distress in regard to what won't come to me now from another source."

"Ah don't lose it!" the old man painfully pleaded.

"It's in your hands, sir," Nick returned.

"I mean Mrs. Dallow's fortune. It will be of the highest utility. That
was what your father missed."

"I shall miss more than my father did," said Nick.

"Shell come back to you--I can't look at you and doubt that."

Nick smiled with a slow headshake. "Never, never, never! You look at me,
my grand old friend, but you don't see me. I'm not what you think."

"What is it--what is it? _Have_ you been bad?" Mr. Carteret panted.

"No, no; I'm not bad. But I'm different."

"Different----?"

"Different from my father. Different from Mrs. Dallow. Different from
you."

"Ah why do you perplex me?" the old man moaned. "You've done something."

"I don't want to perplex you, but I have done something," said Nick,
getting up.

He had heard the door open softly behind him and Mrs. Lendon come
forward with precautions. "What has he done--what has he done?" quavered
Mr. Carteret to his sister. She, however, after a glance at the patient,
motioned their young friend away and, bending over the bed, replied, in
a voice expressive at that moment of an ample provisio