"Valentine, don't be ridiculous!" giggled the young lady.
"How can I help being ridiculous? Your presence acts upon my nerves like laughing-gas. Ah, you do not know what cares and perplexities I have to make me serious. Charlotte," exclaimed the young man, with sudden energy, "do you think you could ever come to distrust me?"
"Valentine! Do I think I shall ever be Queen of England? One thing is quite as likely as the other."
"My dear angel, if you will only believe in me always, there is no power upon earth that can make us unhappy. Suppose you found yourself suddenly possessed of a great fortune, Charlotte; what would you do with it?"
"I would buy you a library as good as that in the British Museum; and then you would not want to spend the whole of your existence in Great Russell-street."
"But if you had a great fortune, Lotta, don't you think you would be very much disposed to leave me to plod on at my desk in Great Russell-street? Possessed of wealth, you would begin to languish for position; and you would allow Mr. Sheldon to bring you some suitor who could give you a name and a rank in society worthy of an angelic creature with a hundred thousand pounds or so."
"I should do nothing of the kind. I do not care for money. Indeed, I should be almost sorry to be very rich."
"Why, dearest?"
"Because, if I were very rich, we could not live in the cottage at
Wimbledon, and I could not make lemon cheese-cakes for your dinner."
"My own true-hearted darling!" cried Valentine; "the taint of worldliness can never touch your pure spirit."