Mr. Cass was pleasantly surprised when Ruth came into the library about ten o'clock. As a rule he saw her only for an hour in the drawing-room after dinner. He had quite expected that the two sisters would be chatting in their own rooms by this time.
"Well, my dear," he said, gaily, "have you come to give your old father some of your company? I suppose this is to make up for my absence."
"Yes," she said, as gaily as she could. "You have been away so long, and I do see very little of you, papa. I want to see as much of you as possible."
"Until you leave me for Heron," he said, patting her hand. "Seriously, my dear, I hope you will marry him. He is a good fellow, and will make the best of husbands for my Ruth."
"He wants me to be his wife," Ruth said, gloomily enough. "I have not decided yet; I may or may not marry him. But you can set your mind at rest about Neil Webster, papa. I would not marry him if there was not another man in the world."
Something in her voice struck Mr. Cass unpleasantly and he looked sharply at her. "Why not?" he demanded.
She returned his look boldly. "Because I know now why you did not wish me to be his wife," she said.
He lifted his eyebrows. "Woman's curiosity again," he said, harshly. "What do you know?"
"I know that his real name is Jenner, and that his mother----"
"Stop!" cried her father, his face growing haggard before her eyes. "Who told you this nonsense?"