“No, indeed! Nothing ever shall come between us—at least, if I can prevent it,” rashly asserted this unsuspicious wooer.
A happy little laugh rippled over Allison’s scarlet lips at this assurance, and, laying her hands upon his shoulders, she looked straight into his eyes, while a gleam of triumph shone in her own.
“There!” she said, drawing a long breath; “now I have you just where I want you, and you must promise me that, when I have completed my studies, and you get back from Europe and are nicely established in your position—whether you have made a lot of money or not—you will take me just as I am. I shall have plenty, and there will be no reason why we should not share it together.”
“But, Allison——” Gerald began, looking flushed and embarrassed as, at least, he comprehended her meaning.
She playfully laid her slender fingers upon his lips; but he captured her hand, though with a very tender look into the lovely eyes upraised to his.
“You must let me finish what I was going to say, dear,” he said resolutely. “You must know that no man could respect himself to ask a woman to marry him if he could not give her a comfortable home and feel that he was, in every sense of the word, her protector. I never could be dependent upon your fortune, Allison,” he concluded, with an air of pride and decision which convinced her that there would be no use in discussing that point further.
She secretly admired him for the stand he had taken; but, womanlike, she wanted the last word.
“You said you would promise me anything I asked,” she said, with a pretty pout.
“But I did not think you would be guilty of taking such an unfair advantage of me,” Gerald retorted, laughing. “I cannot swear away my self-respect, to please even you,” and bending, he softly kissed the white brow that was resting against his shoulder.