He sighed heavily, and turning to her as she ended her story, remarked:
“It would make a pretty novel, this love story of yours and Charley’s, and I should not have found much fault with it if Rosalind had been left out of it, but her wrongs made me indignant, caused all my bitterest anger against you both.”
“It was sad,” replied Berenice, “that she should suffer for our happiness—very hard. But it was better for Charley to tell her the truth frankly, as he did, and ask for his release.”
“Yes, I agree with you on the latter point, but Rosalind denies that Charley ever asked for a release. She claims that she was betrothed to him all the while, and her mortification was so extreme that to palliate my son’s offense I——” he paused and bit his lips, but Berenice finished the sentence for him:
“You threw yourself into the breach, with your high sense of honor, and offered to heal the wound by marrying her yourself, thus still making her prospective heiress of the Bonair millions, the high stakes for which she was playing.”
He quickly took up the cudgel in Rosalind’s defense.
“Hush! she is not mercenary. I am sure she loved my son dearly, and can never give me but a tame affection. If I believed Rosalind unworthy of my respect and love, I could sooner forgive my son’s perfidy. For I must own you are a very charming little lady!” exclaimed the senator frankly.
She smiled up at him gratefully.
“Not little lady—little daughter,” she pleaded.
“Little daughter, then,” he amended smilingly, and felt his heart thrill warmly at the word.