"You don't want money, do you?"
"I've got a hundred pounds in my pocket—"
"Splendid! I've only got two pounds ten in mine. But what have you got a year?"
"Father has only two hundred. I have it while he is away."
"But when your father returns he'll be rich. His brother has made a pile out there—heard so the other day—and he hasn't any children. Do go back to the farm, there's a dear girl."
"But I can't," said Margaret, carefully concealing the pleasure she felt at being called a dear girl. "Hannah wouldn't even let me in now. Besides, I may be very stupid or I may be a genius; I want to find out, and I shall be quite safe here."
"Oh yes, you'll be quite safe here. Mrs. Gilman is a nice woman. She's a great friend of mine. I shall go and talk to her in a moment. My people used to know her—believe it was my mother who sent Miss Hunstan here. Well, if you are not going back to the farm, when you've done your rehearsal to-day we might have a spree—drive about, or something. Mr. Vincent let us do it before, so he wouldn't mind our doing it again."
"Of course not," she answered, joyfully.
"Shall I call for you at the theatre?"
"I don't know what time the rehearsal will be over."