"Of course the debt must be paid if it is a condition of Alice's reconciliation with her husband," said the old man, "but I shall certainly not sacrifice your securities in order to do it. Such an act would be directly against the terms of your father's will."
There was no further concession to be had from him, so Daniel turned to his work, half in disappointment, half in admiration of his uncle's loyalty to the written word.
When he went home to luncheon Lydia told him that she had seen Alice, who had appeared seriously disturbed, though she had shown her, with evident enjoyment, a number of exquisite Paris gowns. "She had a sable coat, also, in her closet, which could not have cost less, I should have supposed, than forty thousand dollars—the kind of coat that a Russian Grand Duchess might have worn—but when I spoke of it, she grew very much depressed and changed the subject. Did you talk to Uncle Richard? And was I right?"
"You're always right," he admitted despondently, "but do you think, then, that I'd better not see Alice to-day?"
"Perhaps it would be wiser to wait until to-morrow. Geoffrey is in a very difficult humour, she says, more brutally indifferent to her than he has been since her marriage."
"Isn't that all the more reason she ought to have her family about her?"
"She says not. It's easier to deal with him, she feels, alone—and any way Uncle Richard will call there this afternoon."
"Oh, Uncle Richard!" he groaned, as he went out.
In the evening there was no news beyond a reassuring visit from Richard Ordway, who stopped by, for ten minutes, on his way from an interview with Geoffrey Heath. "To tell the truth I found him less obstinate than I had expected," he said, "and there's no doubt, I fear, that he has some show of justice upon his side. He has agreed now to make Alice a very liberal allowance from the first of April, provided she will promise to make no more bills, and to live until then within her own income. He told me that he was obliged to retrench for the next six months in order to meet his obligations without touching his investments. It seems that he had bought very largely on margin, and the shrinkages in stocks has forced him to pay out a great deal of money recently."
"I knew you would manage it, Uncle, I relied on you absolutely," said Lydia, sweetly.