"The devil!" exclaimed the villain to himself. "The little simpleton thinks I meant marriage."
It suddenly dawned on him that there could be no question of love with this honest little country girl without marriage.
He determined to humor her fancy.
"So you will be my wife, my sweet one?" he inquired.
"Yes," she replied, "I will marry you if father is willing."
Mr. Vinton suddenly assumed an expression of deep concern.
"Ah! my little darling," he said, as he bent down and kissed her ruby lips, "that is just where the trouble comes in. If I marry you now, as my ardent love prompts me to do, I cannot ask your father to give you to me, for our marriage must be a secret, unknown to any but ourselves."
"Why so?" she inquired, looking disappointed.
"I cannot tell you the reason now, Jennie," he replied, evasively. "There are several things which would prevent our marriage if I declared our intention beforehand; but there is one reason I can give you. My sister, though she is fond of you in her way would never consent to it. She is very proud, and she wishes me to marry a rich woman of her choosing. If I openly defy her she has the power to keep me out of my fortune and make me a poor man."