“You’re--you’re almost nice,” he said. “I wonder you can break up a home.”
“Oh, my dear, my dear!” cried Edith, but she did not offer to touch him; she only turned shining and appealing eyes to him. Her eyes were too much; they should not have been so kind when she was so wicked.
“I shall never see the soldiers again,” he said mournfully.
“But, Leslie, they are yours; I bought them for you,” she pleaded “Indeed, indeed, I bought them for you this morning.”
“Lestranges don’t take bribes,” said Leslie coldly; still he looked at the general and the best gun--it was a very good gun.
“But it isn’t a bribe,” explained the enchantress. “Won’t you even take the general and the gun--”
Leslie’s chest heaved. He looked across the table at her.
“Will you give up my father?” he asked. “If you’ll give him up I’ll take--I’ll take both the general and the gun.”
“Oh, but, Leslie, I couldn’t--he’d be so unhappy--”
“No, he wouldn’t,” said Leslie firmly. “He’d get used to it in time; there are lots of things he has--me and Aunt Etta, and a new cuckoo clock I gave him for his last birthday. Oh, give him up--give him up--!”