Tom remonstrated in a sullen way, saying he thought it a good match for his daughter.
"You'll find out it is not," said Alan sharply. "The man is probably in the pay of the enemy, and will be laid by the heels before long; then she will come back to you and you'll be glad to have her."
Alan suspected Tom had been bribed by Meason; he knew his fondness for money but did not question him on this subject.
Tom Thrush thought over what Alan said. It caused him some uneasiness. He had a great respect for him and his opinions and knew he would not make an assertion without good grounds for doing so.
Carl Meason and his wife arrived at a small resort on the East Coast and stayed at an hotel. She wondered why he came here; there was not much to see, it was dull. Once she had been to Scarboro' and enjoyed the brief stay, but H—— was a different place.
Meason left her alone a good deal. The excuse was he had work to do; he did not explain what it was.
After a week in Meason's company Jane already began to repent her hurried marriage. Carl was rough; some of the veneer wore off rapidly. He gave her money and told her to amuse herself, but there was little chance of that in such a place.
"Why don't you take me with you? I'd like to see the country," said
Jane.
"Can't be done, my dear; not yet, at least. Wait a week or two and I may be able to do so," he replied.
"What are you so very busy about?" she asked.