Lady Haredale paused for a moment. She had often had to sacrifice a great deal to meet the exigencies caused by her own difficulties and her husband's, and now, besides the dread of exposure, there was upon her that most irresistible pressure of all, the need of ready money. The letter in her hand told her what she already partly knew, that Lord Haredale could only raise the three thousand pounds, which he was bound to produce on Amethyst's wedding-day, with the consent of his son, at great sacrifices; while, having raised a part of it, if it could only be applied to other purposes, sundry small debts of his own, and, as Lady Haredale felt, her own liabilities, could be settled off-hand, and a respite from intolerable pressure be obtained. It was, really, to this humiliating need, rather than to any misapprehension or dread of discovery, that Amethyst's fate was owing. Under the circumstances Lucian could hardly be asked to give time for the payment of the small marriage portion. After all, he was no millionaire, Amethyst might easily marry better. No, Lady Haredale would not make that prettily-worded confession of her little plans, that half playful, half regretful acknowledgment of Una's childish folly that might have set all right. A broken engagement was nothing for a girl of eighteen, and with the quick resolution born of hundreds of emergencies, she took her line at once. "That must depend on how far Lucian is reasonable," she said; "but, my darling, you must trust me to know what you may rightly demand of him." "I don't think I can trust any one," said Amethyst, but, as she spoke, Tory opened the door. "Amethyst, Lucian wants you," she said. "I am coming too," said Lady Haredale. "It is to me that he must answer for his unworthy suspicions." "Speak out, Amethyst," whispered Tory, as she passed her. "Don't be bullied into giving him up. What does it matter what any one knows about my lady?" Lucian was in the library, and when he saw Lady Haredale, he stopped short in his eager movement towards Amethyst, drew himself up, and said sternly and shortly-- "My business is with Amethyst alone." "I do not think it is, Mr Leigh," said Lady Haredale. "You have refused to accept her word as to the nature of her interview with Major Fowler. I will not say anything about Mrs Leigh's _extraordinary_ misapprehension, or what motive she may have had in bringing it forward; but, unless you at once withdraw all your suspicions, and apologise to my daughter for your words this morning, neither Lord Haredale nor myself will allow her to continue her engagement." Lucian could not fail to see that this speech was intended to offend him, and, taken in conjunction with Lady Haredale's previous excuses, that it was intended to conceal the truth. He turned away from her, and caught Amethyst roughly by both hands.