Shares rise and fall--and Companies some times fail."
"And a friend's anxiety about Miss Henley's affairs sometimes takes a
mighty disagreeable form," the Irishman added, his temper beginning to
show itself without disguise. "Let's suppose the worst that can happen,
and get all the sooner to the end of a conversation which is far from
being agreeable to me. We'll say, if you like, that Miss Henley's
shares are waste paper, and her pockets (God bless her!) as empty as
pockets can be, does she run any other risk that occurs to your
ingenuity in becoming my wife?"
"Yes, she does!" Hugh was provoked into saying. "In the case you have
just supposed, she runs the risk of being left a destitute widow--if
you die."
He was prepared for an angry reply--for another quarrel added, on that
disastrous night, to the quarrel with Mr. Henley. To his astonishment,
Lord Harry's brightly-expressive eyes rested on him with a look of
mingled distress and alarm. "God forgive me!" he said to himself, "I
never thought of that! What am I to do? what am I to do?"
Mountjoy observed that deep discouragement, and failed to understand
it.
Here was a desperate adventurer, whose wanderings had over and over
again placed his life in jeopardy, now apparently overcome by merely
having his thoughts directed to the subject of death! To place on the
circumstances such a construction as this was impossible, after a
moment's reflection.
Pages:
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245