‘Yes, sir; I do not see how you can do otherwise; for you are my father, which makes you responsible for me. You have brought me up in luxury, but you have not educated me for any profession. You could not suppose that I would always do exactly as you desired just because I happened to be dependent upon you instead of having a profession such as most men have? I may be dependent on you for money, sir, but I am so only on condition that I am entirely independent of you in the conduct of my life. ’Tis your duty to give me the fortune you have always led me to expect; but if you refuse it because I intend to marry Caroline Shepley, I must then ask you to support me for a few years more till I can learn to support myself and her. If you refuse me this money it will not keep me from marrying her—nothing will; but I must repeat again that if you educate a man to expect a fortune at your hands, you cannot blame him for calculating upon it.’ Meadowes rose and paced up and down the room. ‘What you say is true, Phil,’ he said at last; ‘the money is yours.’ ‘Thank you, sir! I trust you will not regret the decision.’ ‘Philip,’ cried his father suddenly, crossing over to where the young man stood, and laying his hand on his arm,—‘Philip, as you love me do not marry this girl!’ There fell a short silence before Phil spoke:— ‘But the plain fact is, sir, _I do not love you!_’ he said. The whirlwind! the whirlwind! How it swept now over the man, who, for half a lifetime, had been sowing the wind! It came up and smote the four corners of the house of life where he feasted at his ease, and before the inrush of the blast he trembled and was afraid. ‘Have I not done everything for you, Philip?’ he said, in a hard, cold voice. ‘Everything, sir. Do not misunderstand me; I am quite aware of all I owe you.’ ‘What more can I do, Phil, that I have not done?’ ‘Nothing, sir!’ ‘Then why do you not love me?’ ‘Because I cannot trust you—never have and never can,—though ’tis brutal of me to say so.’