"Terrible!" the girl said with a shudder.
"Too true, yet it is not proposed you should marry the father. We need money. You, child, need money, and what is more, a prospect, a future. You have nothing and the outlook is not cheering."
"The outlook is hopeless; I have nothing in the world, our family was always hopelessly impoverished, still the little we once had——" Kathleen paused.
"Recriminations, my love, are useless!" his Lordship said.
"There was very little and now that little hath taken unto itself wings and has flown away——" He stroked his long drooping moustache with his slender hand. "So it behoves us to make our arrangements for the future. Sir Josiah and I have discussed everything."
"You mean myself, you have arranged the deeds of sale, I suppose, how much am I worth?"
"Your value is inestimable. Sir Josiah, worthy Baronet, more daring than I, puts it down in actual figures—" he paused. "I made a note of them. He advances me—" He took some papers from his pocket, "the sum of twelve thousand pounds—advances, mind you, Kathleen, a kindly loan, which I shall, no doubt, find useful——"
"That is your part of the payment," she said bitterly, "go on!"
"He buys a fine house, an estate, he settles it on his son; by the way the lad's name is Allan."
"I know," she said, "go on."