Susie knew, partly from fragments of letters which Margaret read to her, partly from her conversation, how passionately he adored his bride; and it pleased her to see that Margaret loved him in return with a grateful devotion. The story of this visit to Paris touched her imagination. Margaret was the daughter of a country barrister, with whom Arthur had been in the habit of staying; and when he died, many years after his wife, Arthur found himself the girl’s guardian and executor. He sent her to school; saw that she had everything she could possibly want; and when, at seventeen, she told him of her wish to go to Paris and learn drawing, he at once consented. But though he never sought to assume authority over her, he suggested that she should not live alone, and it was on this account that she went to Susie. The preparations for the journey were scarcely made when Margaret discovered by chance that her father had died penniless and she had lived ever since at Arthur’s entire expense. When she went to see him with tears in her eyes, and told him what she knew, Arthur was so embarrassed that it was quite absurd.
“But why did you do it?” she asked him. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t think it fair to put you under any obligation to me, and I wanted you to feel quite free.”
She cried. She couldn’t help it.
“Don’t be so silly,” he laughed. “You owe me nothing at all. I’ve done very little for you, and what I have done has given me a great deal of pleasure.”
“I don’t know how I can ever repay you.”
“Oh, don’t say that,” he cried. “It makes it so much harder for me to say what I want to.”
She looked at him quickly and reddened. Her deep blue eyes were veiled with tears.
“Don’t you know that I’d do anything in the world for you?” she cried.
“I don’t want you to be grateful to me, because I was hoping—I might ask you to marry me some day.”