ch a man."

"It is not more than a week ago you told me, in all seriousness, that
you would marry her, if she 'd have you."

"And I say it again, here and now; and I say more, that if I had the
legal right over her that marriage would give me, I'd make her rue the
day she outraged Ludlow Paten."

"It was Paul Hunt that she slighted, man," said Stocmar, half
sneeringly. "You forget that."

"Is this meant for a threat, Stocmar?"

"Don't be a fool," said the other, carelessly. "What I meant was, that
other times had other interests, and neither she, nor you, nor, for that
matter, I myself, want to live over the past again."

Paten threw his cigar angrily from him, and sat brooding and moody; for
some time nothing was heard between them save the clink of the decanter
as they filled their glasses, and passed the wine.

"Trover's off," mattered Paten, at last.

"Off! Whereto?"

"To Malta, I believe; and then to Egypt--anywhere, in short, till the
storm blows over. This American crash has given them a sharp squeeze."

"I wonder who'll get that Burgundy? I think I never drank such
Chambertin as that he gave us t' other night."

"I'd rather pick up that pair of Hungarian chestnuts. They are the true
'Yucker' breed, with nice straight slinging action."

"His pictures, too, were good."

"And such cigars as the dog had! He told me, I think, he had about
fifteen thousand of those Cubans."

"A vulgar hound!--always boasting of his stable, or his cellar, or his
conservatory! I can't say I feel sorry for him."

"Sorry for him! I should think not. The fellow has had his share of good
fortune, living up there at that glorious villa in luxury. It's only
fair he should take his turn on the shady side of the road."

"These Heathcotes must have got it smartly too from the Yankees. They
invested largely there of late."

"So Trover told me. Almost the last words he said were: 'The man that
marries that girl for an heiress, will find he has got a blind nut Her
whole fortune is swept away.'"

"I wonder is that true."

"I feel certain it is. Trover went into all sorts of figures to show it.
I'm not very much up in arithmetic, and so could n't follow him; but I
gathered that they 'd made their book to lose, no matter how the match
came off. That was to be expected when they trusted such things to a
woman."

Another and a longer pause now ensued between them; at length Paten
broke it abruptly, saying, "And the girl--I mean