"Fifty pounds would give me more pleasure; just twice as much pleasure."
Archie had begun to rejoice greatly at the safe disposition of the
money, and to think how excellently well this spy did her business; but
now there came upon him suddenly an idea that spies perhaps might do
their business too well. "Twenty pounds in this country goes a very
little way; you are all so rich," said the spy.

"By George, I ain't. I ain't rich, indeed."

"But you mean to be--with Julie's money?"

"Oh--ah--yes; and you ought to know, Madam Gordeloup, that I am now the
heir to the family estate and title."

"Yes; the poor little baby is dead, in spite of the pills and the
powders, the daisies and the buttercups! Poor little baby! I had a baby
of my own once, and that died also." Whereupon Madam Gordeloup, putting
up her hand to her eyes, wiped away a real tear with the bank-notes
which she still held. "And I am to remind Julie that you will be the
heir?"

"She will know all about that already."

"But I will tell her. It will be something to say, at any rate--and
that, perhaps, will be the difficulty."

"Just so! I didn't look at it in that light before."

"And am I to propose it to her first?"

"Well; I don't know. Perhaps as you are so clever, it might be as well."

"And at once?"

"Yes, certainly; at once. You see, Madam Gordeloup, there may be so many
buzzing about her."

"Exactly; and some of them perhaps will have more than twenty pounds
handy. Some will buzz better than that."

"Of course I didn't mean that for anything more than just a little
compliment to begin with."

"Oh, ah; just a little compliment for beginning. And when will it be
making a progress and going on?"

"Making a progress!"

"Yes; when will the compliment become a little bigger? Twenty pounds!
Oh! it's just for a few gloves, you know; nothing more."

"Nothing more than that, of course," said poor Archie.

"Well; when will the compliment grow bigger? Let me see. Julie has seven
thousands of pounds, what you call, per annum. And have you seen that
beautiful park? Oh! And if you can make her to look at the moon with her
hair down--oh! When will that compliment grow bigger? Twenty pounds! I
am ashamed, you know."

"When will you see her, Madam Gordeloup?"

"See her! I see her every day, always. I will be there to-day, and
to-morrow, and the next day."

"You might say a word then at once--this afternoon."

"What! for twenty pounds! Seven