"Well, a sincere one, at all events," returned the dry old lawyer, whose aridity was not proof against the charm of his young client.
"I must not waste your time," she resumed, drawing her chair a little nearer the table behind which he was ensconced. "I want to buy a house which I have seen, and I want you to attend to all details connected with it."
"Oh—ah! Well, a good house would not be a bad investment; it would be very convenient to have a residence in London."
"It is not for myself; it is a speculation."
"A speculation? What put that into your head?"
Whereupon Katherine told him her story.
"I think it rather a mad undertaking," was Mr. Newton's verdict. "These projects seldom succeed. I don't care for clever interesting young women who have no one belonging to them and cannot corroborate their stories. How do you know she was not dismissed from Blackie & Co.'s for theft?"
Katherine laughed. "I certainly do not know," she said, "but I feel it is quite as impossible for her to steal as it is for myself."
"Feel!—feel!" (impatiently). "Just so: impostors thrive on the good feelings of—of the simple."
"You were going to say fools," said Katherine. "Don't let us waste time, my dear Mr. Newton," she went on, with good-humored decision. "We shall never agree on such a topic; and I am going to buy this house, or another of the same kind if this proves not to be desirable; and I should be very sorry to employ any one but you to arrange the purchase."