“Yes, yes, you like him better than any of your cousins!” said Kitty. “He won’t call you out, I promise you!”
“Mama says he won’t, but I don’t know. Mama says you won’t marry him. Says she knew it all along. Says if I do the thing right you’ll marry me. Says—”
“She says that I shall like to be a Countess, and you have only to tell me of all the advantages which would be mine, if I married you, for me to accept your offer!” interrupted Kitty. “But this is all nonsense, Dolph, and there is nothing to put you in this taking! You may tell your Mama that you did her bidding, and I refused to listen to you.”
He shook his head. “Don’t understand. Haven’t thought! I have, People may say I can’t think, but I can. Often think for hours and hours. Thought about this. See it all. You refuse me—can’t come here any more—shan’t see Hannah— put a period to my existence! Only thing is, able to swim! shouldn’t like to put a pistol to my head. At least,” he added, “don’t think I should. Got peppered in the leg by a careless fellow once. Didn’t like it above half.”
Considerably frightened, Kitty knelt beside his chair, and took his hand, and patted it. “No, no, Dolph! Pray do not talk in that wild fashion! I do understand!—I understand perfectly! It is all my fault for not having thought of a way to help you all this time! But I will get you out of this fix!”
“You will?” said his lordship anxiously.
“I will!” she declared. “Oh, dear, it seems as though everything has come upon me at the same time! First, Camille, and then Fish, and now—” She broke off, as an idea occurred to her, and suddenly raised her eyes to his lordship’s face, staring fixedly at him.
“You think you can get me out of it?” he said, a glimmer of hope in his eye.
“Wait!” said Kitty. She sat back on her heels, her brows knitted, and her gaze intent upon the wall.
His lordship waited obediently, watching her with very much the air of an expectant dog. All at once, her face broke into smiles, and she turned to him, seizing both his hands, and saying impulsively: “I have it! How can I have been such a goose as not to have thought of it before? My poor, dear Fish! It is all her doing! You shall marry Miss Plym—