"Your offer is wonderfully kind and tempting, and shows more confidence in me than I have earned." I spoke with some emotion, because I felt that last point strongly, having shown no friendship towards this man. "But I cannot accept it, Mr. Stoneman. I will do all I can to make things easy, and to help you to the utmost of my power. But my first duty is to my father and mother. And I could not do this without neglecting that." "You are right. I was wrong in proposing it. My stable, of course, would have been at your service. But the inroads upon your time, and the many derangements--well, never mind, so long as you are not angry with me for proposing it. But if you will come out with us now and then----" "Certainly I will, upon our Old Joseph. He ran away with me not very long ago. Some of your young cracks would find him not so very far behind; for he is wonderfully knowing." "Good for you, I know how that tells up; though I am not a 'Parson Jack,' who laid £5 that he would be in at the death upon his old donkey, and won it. Very well, all that is settled--not exactly as I should wish, but as much as we ever get things. But the next thing I shall never get. And it is the only thing in life I care for." "I should have thought that a man like you, resolute, very clear-headed, and wealthy, might make sure of everything that in reason he required. With life and health, I mean, of course, and the will of the Lord not against him." "We never know what is the will of the Lord, until we console ourselves with it. Not that I am a scoffer or even a sceptic, Mr. Cranleigh. And in some of the greatest moments of my life--but I will not bother you with them. Only I may say that I look upon this as the very greatest of them all. I don't want to make a fool of myself--but--perhaps the Lord has done it for me." He tried to make a little smile of this, and looked as if he wanted me to help him out. But I could only stare, and wonder whether any man ever born is at all times right in his head. For if anybody could be expected to know what he is about at all times, I should have thought that man would be Jackson Stoneman of the Stock Exchange. So I waited, as my manner is, for him to make good sense of this. Then he got up from his bench and set his face (which had been quivering) as firm as the Funds, and looked down at me--for I was in my Windsor chair again--and his eyes seemed to flash defiance at me, although his voice was tender. "George Cranleigh, you may think what you like. I care not a rap what anybody thinks. I love your sister Grace, as no man ever loved a woman, or ever will." My amazement was so great and sudden that I looked at him without a word. For a moment I was beaten out of time by this strong man's intensity.