"I should not refuse it," said Parkington, smiling.
"Then, marry Miss Stirling—she can wheedle him, I warrant; and, besides, he will be forced to admit that you have given some evidence of reform by doing it."
"And Miss Stirling, shall I carry her off by force and marry her, or simply drug her!" laughed Parkington.
"Neither—tell her the truth. I will be much surprised, if she does not jump at the chance to get the son of the Earl of Doncaster, even though he is not the heir. Moreover, man, she is fond of you; one did not need to do more than see her at table, this evening, to appreciate it."
"You are fertile of schemes," was the answer.
"I am—and they are usually good schemes; it is an indispensable requisite of the pirate business."
Parkington drew over the port, and replenished his glass.
"But it risks everything on the Earl," he objected. "If he refuse to be lenient—if he prosecutes?"
"He will not."
"I must think over it—and, then, marriage is a serious question, my friend, a serious question!"