‘Possibly, dearest. Yet in her childishness she knows how to fool a man as thoroughly as Ninon de l’Enclos could have done after half a century’s practice. However, I hope Edgar will stand his ground and bring this wayward puss to her senses.’ ‘I cannot understand how she can help liking him,’ mused Madoline. ‘He is so good, so frank, and brave, and true.’ ‘All noble qualities, and deserving a woman’s affection. Yet the sentimental history of the human race tends to show that a man endowed with all those virtues is not the most dangerous to the fair sex.’ ‘Gerald,’ said Lina, ‘I have an idea that pride is at the bottom of Daphne’s refusal.’ ‘Why pride? What kind of pride?’ ‘She has harped a good deal, at different times, upon her penniless position; has called herself a pauper, half in joke, half in earnest, but with a bitterness of tone that wounded me. She may think that as Edgar is well off, and she has no fortune, she ought not to accept him.’ ‘My dearest love, what an utterly quixotic idea. The only thought a pretty young woman ever has about a man’s wealth is that when she shall be his wife she can have more frocks than the common run of women. There is no sense of obligation. She is so conscious of the boon she bestows that she accepts his filthy lucre as a matter of course.’ ‘I don’t think that would be Daphne’s way of thinking.’ ‘Dearest, if she were wholly your sister I should say not. But as she is only your half-sister, I can suppose her only about half as good again as the ruck of womankind.’ ‘You are very rich, are you not, Gerald?’ ‘Well, yes; it would take a large amount of idiocy on my part to spoil the income my father left me. It might be done, no doubt, if I went into the right circles. My ruin would be only a question of so many years and so many racehorses. But while I live as I am living now, there is very little chance of my becoming acquainted with want.’ ‘I know, dear; and I don’t think it was for the sake of my fortune you chose me, was it, Gerald?’ ‘My dearest love, I only wish some old nurse would turn up on your wedding morning and tell you that you are not the Lady Clare, so that I might prove to you how little wealth or position influenced my choice. I think I know what you are going to say, Lina. As I have more money than you and I together—indulge our caprices as we may—are ever likely to spend, why not give your fortune to Daphne?’ ‘Dear Gerald, how good of you to guess my wish! I should like to divide my fortune with my sister when I come of age. I don’t want to give her all, for half would be ample. And I am so accustomed to the idea of independence, that I should hardly like to be a pensioner even upon you. Will you speak to the lawyers, Gerald, and find out how the gift had better be made?’ ‘Yes, dear; I’ll settle everything with the men of law. It seems to me that you can do just what you like, as soon as you come of age. But you’ll have to wait till then.’