"But surely, as her nearest living relative, he has a right to be consulted in so important a matter, more especially as Anna is still considerably under age."
"I fail to recognize any such right on his part. Besides, he would only flout me. I know him--curse him! The things he sometimes said to me at the Towers used to make me wild with rage, only there was never anything to lay hold of. He was too cunning for that."
"There are Miss Drelincourt's trustees, through whom her income is paid her while she is under age."
"SO there are. But why should I go near them? I suppose the old colonel had got it into his head that his daughter would never marry. At any rate, there's no clause in his will which empowers her trustees to alienate a shilling of her income, even should she marry under age and without their consent. On that point I've satisfied myself."
"You are not a very rich man, I believe, Mr. Ormsby?"
The hot color surged up to the roots of his hair. He half rose to his feet, and then sat down again as if remembering himself. "Faith, you're right there, Mrs. Jenwyn," he said, with a short laugh. "I am a poverty stricken beggar, and no mistake. I freely admit it."
"And of course it would be great pecuniary gain to you to marry any one with Anna's prospective income?"
"To be sure it would. I should be a fool to deny it. If I marry at all, I must marry money; that's absolutely essential. So, why should I not wed Anna? She is, or will be, fairly well off; and then she's a lovely girl and I'm awfully gone on her."
He finished with a self satisfied smirk and a twist of his mustache, and then sat staring at Mrs. Jenwyn through his monocle, with his other eye half shut, as implying that, so far as he was concerned, the last word had been said, and that the interview might be considered as at an end.
But Mrs. Jenwyn was by no means of the same opinion.