"Nor about any other money which--I may find. I want you to keep your own counsel; I want people to suppose that the money is your own; I don't want them to think I'm buying a husband." "I certainly will neither do nor say anything to make them think so. All the same, darling, I don't know how to thank you; you don't know what this means to me. It seems to be all in gold?" He was fingering the parcel in his jacket pocket. "It is; I thought you might find it more convenient." "I think it's possible you're right; I believe you always are." As he had been coming along in the dogcart he had not seemed to be in the best of spirits; now he was unmistakably cheerful; that package had made a difference. A question, however, which she asked seemed to annoy him more than, on the surface, it need have done. "What became of Mr. Peters?" "They gave him six months--confound the idiots?" "Why confound them?" The smile with which he accompanied his reply seemed forced. "A lawyer likes his client to be acquitted." "But Dr. Banyard says that he's a scoundrel." "Dr. Banyard! You can tell Dr. Banyard, with my compliments, that he's a Pharisee." "I think nothing of the man; I think he's an interfering prig. I don't like him, and he doesn't like me." "Which shows that he must be all kinds of a fool." "I don't know about that; but I do know that I don't like him. By the way, I suppose you understand what you're coming for. Everything here is at sixes and sevens. Nora knows absolutely nothing about her father's business affairs; he never told her anything; he kept his own counsel with a vengeance." "So I gathered from your note." "She doesn't even know who his man of business was. She wants you to find out; she thinks that if you look through his papers you will." "There should be no difficulty about that. If I have access to his papers I ought to find that out inside ten minutes." "I suppose so. But even if you do find out I don't see why you shouldn't keep the conduct of her affairs as much as possible in your hands; I think it might be done; you'll have my influence upon your side. You needn't say anything about there being an understanding between us; we can't keep people from guessing; but don't let them know--till it suits us." He saw something in her eyes which caused him to pay her what some people would have regarded as an ambiguous compliment. "By George, you're a clever one; you're the sort of girl I like!" "I'm glad of that; because you happen to be the sort of man I like." He laughed. "I'd like to kiss you!" "Quite impossible, here. You see, it might be rather a good thing for you to have the management of Nora's estate." "True, oh queen!" "Then why shouldn't you have it?" "I know of no reason."