"Agreed," answered Richard, laughing. And he sealed the bargain.
Mary said again that she must drive on; and did not. How long they would really have stayed there it was impossible to say, had not the man come back from the works with the empty wheelbarrow for more sand.
* * * * *
When the next spring came round, Richard North and his wife were established at Dallory Hall. Somewhere about the time of the marriage, there occurred a little warfare. Mary, who owned a great amount of accumulated money, wanted Richard to take it into his business. Richard steadily refused. A small amount would be useful to him; that he would take; but no more.
"Richard," she said to him one day, before they had been married a week, "I do think you are more obstinate upon this point than any other. You should hear what Mrs. Gass says about it."
"She says it to me," returned Richard, laughing. "There's not my equal for obstinacy in the world, she tells me."
"And you know it's true, sir."
But the next minute he grew strangely serious. "I cannot give up business, Mary; I have already said so----"
"I should despise you if you did, Richard," she interrupted. "I have money and gentility--I beg you'll not laugh, sir; you have work, and brains to work with; so we are equally matched. But I wish you would take the money."
"No," said Richard. "I will never again enter on gigantic operations, and be at the beck and call of the Trades' Unions. There's another reason against it--that it would require closer supervision on my part. And as I have now divided duties to attend to; I shall not add to them. I should not choose to neglect my works; I should not choose to neglect my wife."