"But you should have some one look after your property, invest it for you—a woman can't do that very well."
"The bank does it, don't it?"
"I mean after you are of age and have control of your own property."
"Oh," the girl murmured vaguely, running her hand through the ripples of river water. "That's a good ways off!... I suppose I shall be married by that time, and he will look after it for me."
She said this in a thoroughly matter-of-fact voice, but the banker almost jumped from his seat at the words.
"You aren't thinking of getting married yet!" he exclaimed hastily.
"I suppose I shall some day," she replied.
"Of course you'll marry sometime," he said with relief; and ran on glibly,—"That is the natural thing. Every girl should get married early. But you must take good care, my dear girl, not to make a mistake. You might be very unhappy, you know. He might not treat you right." And with a sense of climax he exclaimed,—"He might lose all your money—ruin you!"
"Yes, he might," Adelle agreed with composure. "They do that sometimes."
She looked at him from her open gray eyes undisturbed by the prospect, as if, womanlike, she was aware of this unpleasant fate in danger of which she must always be. Mr. Ashly Crane knew that this was the point when his love-making should begin, but suddenly he felt that Adelle Clark was a very difficult person to make love to.