Charley Bonair was a man of action.
Having resolved to marry Berenice Vining, he knew that he would have to encounter strong family opposition, and foreboded that every possible means would be adopted to prevent the marriage.
Therefore he decided to forestall family interference by marrying the young girl first, and trying to reconcile his relatives afterward.
His sanguine disposition made him believe that this would be an easy task. And even if it failed he felt quite independent, even in the face of possible disinheritance.
His dead mother had left her own handsome fortune to be divided between her three children on the coming of age of Marie, the youngest.
Charley thought he and his love could get along very well on his portion, especially as Berenice was used to poverty and would not really know how to be extravagant.
He made up his mind to have the ceremony quietly to-morrow and he would then feel surer.
He took Mrs. Cline partially into his confidence, telling her that he and Berenice had been lovers before and parted through a misunderstanding that he had now explained away.
The next thing he had to do—the hardest of all—was to acquaint Rosalind with the fact of his acceptance by her rival.
He felt keenly how unwelcome the news must be to the girl who had loved him and hoped to be his bride, but he assured himself that she would soon be consoled by the attentions of other lovers.