is power, but he knew that he could not jilt Lady
Alexandrina de Courcy.

On the next morning at twelve o'clock he had his interview with the
father, and a very unpleasant interview it was. He was ushered into
the earl's room, and found the great peer standing on the rug, with
his back to the fire, and his hands in his breeches pockets.

"So you mean to marry my daughter?" said he. "I'm not very well, as
you see; I seldom am."

These last words were spoken in answer to Crosbie's greeting. Crosbie
had held out his hand to the earl, and had carried his point so far
that the earl had been forced to take one of his own out of his
pocket, and give it to his proposed son-in-law.

"If your lordship has no objection. I have, at any rate, her
permission to ask for yours."

"I believe you have not any fortune, have you? She's got none; of
course you know that?"

"I have a few thousand pounds, and I believe she has as much."

"About as much as will buy bread to keep the two of you from
starving. It's nothing to me. You can marry her if you like; only,
look here, I'll have no nonsense. I've had an old woman in with me
this morning,--one of those that are here in the house,--telling me
some story about some other girl that you have made a fool of. It's
nothing to me how much of that sort of thing you may have done, so
that you do none of it here. But,--if you play any prank of that kind
with me, you'll find that you've made a mistake."

Crosbie hardly made any answer to this, but got himself out of the
room as quickly as he could.

"You'd better talk to Gazebee about the trifle of money you've got,"
said the earl. Then he dismissed the subject from his mind, and no
doubt imagined that he had fully done his duty by his daughter.

On the day after this, Crosbie was to go. On the last afternoon,
shortly before dinner, he was waylaid by Lady Julia, who had passed
the day in preparing traps to catch him.

"Mr Crosbie," she said, "let me have one word with you. Is this
true?"

"Lady Julia," he said, "I really do not know why you should inquire
into my private affairs."

"Yes, sir, you do know; you know very well. That poor young lady who
has no father and no brother, is my neighbour, and her friends are my
friends. She is a friend of my own, and being an old woman, I have a
right to speak for her. If this is true, Mr Crosbie, you are treating
her like a villain."

"Lady Julia, I really must decline to discuss the matter