George flew to Lossie the moment he was certain of what he had to offer her, and she accepted him on the spot, to his intense joy, while Gay so warmly encouraged the pair at her house, that Carlton one day complained bitterly of the ubiquity of that "grinning idiot," George Conant, who certainly since his accession to fortune, was more than ever like a Cheshire cat.
"He is an excellent match," said Gay coldly, "and what is better, he adores Lossie—I don't see why they should not be very happy. She will be the prettiest woman in his regiment, and have no end of a good time."
Could this be Gay speaking—Gay who at one time had been all heart and no head, who was now all head and no heart?
"I should have thought," he said, "that love might have some voice in the matter. No woman, surely, could love George Conant—
"Oh," said Gay bitterly, "when a girl can't marry the man she loves, she may just as well marry the man who loves her"—and Carlton winced.
He knew that he had taken a mean advantage of Gay, and was deeply humiliated, not only in his honour, but his pride, for by way of being a vain man, the simultaneous and utter indifference of both girls, hit him hard. Lossie had only wanted him for his fortune, going to extremest lengths to obtain it—Gay had wanted neither him nor his money, and accepted him only in a fit of passionate anger against Chris, of which she had instantly repented. Yet there was a tenacity of purpose, as of love, about the man, that forbade his throwing up the game.
As at every turn Lossie and Captain Conant seemed to cross his path, the one all beauty and (affected) happiness, the other all grin and possessiveness, a sombre rage, with more of heartache in it than he imagined, seized him. For many a man only misses a slighted love when, barred from his own hearth-fires, he turns in his extremity to it, only to find cold ashes, and Carlton in those days felt very chilly and lonely indeed.
Aunt Lavinia had been anything but well lately. One day, speaking to Gay of the Professor, who, like most doctors, was very nervous about himself, she said:
"Ah, my dear, when we are young, we only fear we have complaints, when we are old, we hope so."
Gay looked at her, startled.