"It seems too absurd," he said slowly, "for us to be standing here fighting like two children over who shall and who shall not have the money. Your argument is unreasonable. You might as well say that I am selling my cousin to a prison in that I contemplate prosecuting him for the concealment of his knowledge in this affair. There is just one thing that I wish to say to you, and that is that I shall never touch a dollar of the money which no more belongs to me than it does to Evelyn Chandler. If you wish Luis Kingsley to have possession of it, a man who until a few days ago, was a stranger to you, why, I have nothing to say."
She looked at him for some time incredulously, then:
"You don't really mean that!" she exclaimed. "You would never do anything so mad!"
"It contains less of madness than the absurdity you contemplate. I swear to you that I do mean it. I will never touch it!"
She hesitated a moment, her eyes filling with tears, then went a step toward him, laying her hand upon his arm timidly.
"At least we can come to a compromise, Cousin Lynde," she said, with strong emphasis upon the relationship. "The money was left to you; you say it is mine by right of my unfortunate birth, which never was intended. Very well! I will agree to accept one-half if you will take the other. Surely you can see the justice in that! I tell you frankly, that if you refuse, Luis Kingsley may have the money!"
He saw that she meant it.
If he only could have said to her what was in his heart! If he only had had the privilege to propose to her the compromise that was hovering upon his lips, he would have felt himself the happiest of men, but honor closed his lips.
He had not answered her, when Andrew Pryor entered.
"Well!" he exclaimed, "what understanding have you two arrived at?"