'I have been told,' said Wych Hazeland she hesitated, and then went on again with quick utterance,how intensely disagreeable it all was to her!'I have been told this afternoon, that a year ago you wanted my fortune. Stop!I do not care two straws whether you did or not!But I wished to say, that upon certain conditions you can have part of it now. Think before you refuse, Mr. Nightingale. No one will ever offer you so much againin exchange for so little.'
A pause.
'I am at a loss,' he began in a changed voice, 'how any one can have induced you to believe' And there he stopped. But Wych Hazel gave him no help. She sat looking out into the night, the gaslights flaring in from time to time upon her face. Had she grown fairer than ever?
'Everything is said about everybody,' he said haughtily after a little. 'I do not know why I should fare better than others. The truth about anybody is never public report. It is assumed in the case of every woman who has a fortune, that the man who seeks her, wants it. The gentleman who has had the honour of Miss Kennedy's choice has certainly not escaped the imputation, however he may deserve it no more than I.'
'That is not business,' she said in quiet tones. 'If you please, we will discuss nothing else.'
'I am not so happy as to know of any business between us,' he said in the same haughty manner,'great as the honour and pleasure would be.'
'It will save time,' said Wych Hazel, 'to waste none in preliminaries. I want to buy up your present bad undertakingand the price is for you to name.'And she looked out again into the white darkness, and wondered if this was to be her first night adventure wherein Mr. Rollo did not appear to take her home.
'Pardon me, I am very much at a loss to know what you mean. Only, through the confusion, I seem to perceive that Mrs. Rollo has lost the kind opinion which Miss Kennedy used to have of me.'
He heard a soft exclamation of impatienceextremely like 'Miss
Kennedy!'Then came deliberate words again.
'Mrs. Charteris,' she said, 'has no money of her own. I offer you what you will to let her alone. To break with her utterly. Do you understand? I believe if you pledged me your word to that, you would keep it.'