"Yes, I have. I have realised all that."
"Of course, if you have made up your mind—"
"But I have not made up my mind, Sir Thomas. I must make it up before eleven o'clock to-morrow morning, because I must then be with Neefit,—by appointment. At this moment I am so much in doubt that I am almost inclined to toss up."
"I would sooner cut my throat!" said Sir Thomas, forgetting his wisdom amidst the perplexities of his position.
"Not quite that, Sir Thomas. I suppose you mean to say that anything would be better than such a marriage?"
"I don't suppose you care for the girl," said Sir Thomas, crossly.
"I do not feel uneasy on that score. If I did not like her, and think that I could love her, I would have nothing to do with it. She herself is charming,—though I should lie if I were to say that she were a lady."
"And the father offered her to you?"
"Most distinctly,—and named the fortune."
"Knowing your own condition as to money?"