"I misunderstood her," said his cousin slowly. "I thought that she had a heart, and that she was grieving—innocently perhaps—over Sydney's death."
"Well, was she not?"
"I don't think so. If she ever cared for him at all, it was because she wanted the ease and luxury that he could give her. For, if she cared for him, Hubert—I put it to you as a matter of probability—could she immediately after his death begin to plan a marriage with somebody else?"
Hubert looked up at last, with a startled expression upon his face.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, my dear boy, that your sister Florence now wants to marry the General."
In spite of his distress of mind, Hubert could not stifle a short laugh.
"Aunt Leonora, you are romancing! This is really too much!"
"I should not mention it to you if I had not good reason," said Miss Vane, with a series of mysterious nods. "I have sharp eyes, Hubert, and can see as far as most people. I repeat it—Florence wants to marry the General."
"She will not do that."