y? Do you want her money more than you
want me?"

"Goo-law, old girl, I--"

"Don't talk to me!" cried Marjorie. "Be a man, or I shall hate you!" And
she had left him rubbing his chin thoughtfully, and wondering at the
ways of women and of Marjorie Linden in particular.

"Blinking little spitfire, that's what she is!" he thought. "If she
means to grow like the old girl, then--then--Hello, here's old Alston!"

Hugh could give Tom Arundel a matter of eight years, and therefore Tom
regarded him as elderly. "A decent old bird!" was his favourite
estimate.

"Hello!" said Hugh. "What's the matter? Not been rowing, have you? Tom,
not rowing with the little girl, eh?"

Hugh's face was serious, for he had caught a glimpse of Marjorie a while
ago hurrying through the garden, and the look on her face had sent him
to find Tom.

"Not worrying--her or rowing her?"

"No, goodness knows I haven't said a word, but she flew at me and bit
me!"

"Did what?"

"Metaphorically, of course," said Tom. "I say, Alston, do you think
Marjorie is going to grow like her aunt?"

"Look here," said Hugh, and he gripped Tom by the shoulder with such
strength that Tom was surprised and a little pained. "Look here, I don't
know what Marjorie is going to grow like, but I know this--that she is
the sweetest, most tender-hearted, dearest little soul, loyal and true
and straight, and because you've won her love, my good lad, you ought to
go down on your knees and thank Heaven for it. She's worth ten, fifty,
a hundred of you and of me. A good woman--and Marjorie is that--a good
woman, I tell you, is better, infinitely better, than the finest man
that walks; and you are not that, not by a long way, Tom Arundel. So if
you've offended the child, go after her. Ask her to forgive you and ask
her humbly. You hear me? Ask her deucedly humbly, my lad! And listen to
this--if you bring one tear to her eyes, one tear, one little stab to
that tender heart of hers, if you--you bring one breath of sorrow and
sadness into her life, I'll break your confounded neck for you! Have you
got that, Tom Arundel?"

A final shake that made Tom's teeth rattle, and Hugh turned and strode
away to find Marjorie. Tom Arundel stared after him.

"Well, I--hang me! Hang me if I don't believe old Alston's in love with
her himself!"

Hugh Alston had meant to run over to Hurst Dormer and see how things
were getting on there, and incidentally to collect any letters that
might hav