“You are not fool enough to be in love with him?” he asked.
She stood for a moment without replying. The hand which was gripping the back of the chair against which she was leaning moved convulsively. Her eyes were a little misty, her tone, when she answered, almost indignant.
“That is a horrid question to ask, Uncle,” she declared. “You may be a very learned man, but you know nothing about girls—American girls, anyhow. We don’t fall in love. We leave that to the men. Of course I know that Gregory Ballaston is of the same type as his father and they naturally are not the type which would appeal to you, but I like him. I like to play tennis with him, I like to have him talk to me, I like his friends. He treats me charmingly. And I love dear Mr. Henry. I have never spent a more interesting hour than I spent with him this afternoon. He is delightful—a wonderful personality. To me it is a tragedy to think that they are going to lose their home. If the story of this treasure is true and you can help them to get the jewels, why don’t you? You don’t want the money. You said the other day that you had more than enough. They have one of the Images. The other one Gregory risked his life to obtain. You don’t want yours. Let them have both and tell them how to get the jewels.”
Endacott puffed at his pipe steadily. He had the appearance of seriously considering the matter.
“You talk well, child,” he admitted. “You remind me of your father. You talk sense too. That pleases me. You shall have the truth from me, at any rate. I believe in the treasure. I believe that in twenty-four hours from now I shall know exactly how to obtain it. When I know how, I will reconsider the whole matter impartially. I promise you that. It is practically what I promised your aunt.”
She made a little movement towards him, a gesture, an exclamation of gratitude. He waved her back.
“Let me warn you,” he continued, “my present inclinations are to devote the treasure which I may discover to building a university in Pekin for the benefit of young Englishmen and Americans who wish to study the inner history and the truth about the greatest nation in the world, and, if the treasure should realise sufficient money, to build others in Boston and London for the benefit of the young Chinese. Ask yourself now, would not the money be better spent in that way than in handing it over to this piratical, degenerate family, to gamble away on horses and women and every manner of extravagance; to breed another generation of dissolute Ballastons who would lead the same life, and another very likely after them? What do you think, Claire?”
The girl answered without hesitation.
“I would rather the Ballastons had the money.”
“You won’t argue the matter?”