“Let an enemy fall into your hands and see; let some one do you a deadly injury—let him crush your hopes, and every prospect for the fulfillment of your ambitious desires, and bar you forever from the one prize you covet most on earth, and then see if you will preach about love to your enemies,” Mr. Dalton said, with a fierceness that was absolutely startling, and Earle wondered more and more what possible connection all this could have with his hatred of him. He was not conscious of having crushed any of his hopes, nor of hindering the fulfillment of any ambitious desires, nor of barring him from any coveted prize, although he thought Mr. Dalton was guilty of all this in regard to himself. “Are _you_ not doing that very thing now? Are you not seeking to wrest from me the dearest object which earth holds for me?” he asked, gently, and really pitying one who was so at the mercy of his fierce passions. “Yes; and aren’t you longing to grapple me with those powerful hands of yours and crush me for it?” he laughed in return. “Honestly, no, Mr. Dalton,” Earle exclaimed, with solemn earnestness; “I would not avail myself of the slightest advantage to do you an injury. You suffer more from the exercise of your own vindictiveness than I ever can from its effects.” “And yet you are determined to marry _her_,” with a gesture toward Editha, who now sat with bowed head weeping, “in spite of all my threats?” “Not ‘in spite of your threats,’ Mr. Dalton, for they do not move me in the least; but because our love and our happiness are both too sacred to be sacrificed to the malice of any one,” Earle replied, with dignity. “You will not heed me—you are determined to marry Editha?” he demanded, scowling darkly. “If Miss Dalton consents to be my wife, I shall most certainly make her so.” “And you will not be warned?” “What possible cause, sir, can you have for this fierce opposition and resentment? _Will_ you tell me?” Earle demanded, nearly wearied out with this controversy. “_No_; that is my secret—I shall not tell it to you. _I shall keep it to crush you both with; and crush you it will, if you attempt to thwart me_,” he answered, sternly. Earle bent his head in deep thought for a moment, then, seeking Mr. Dalton’s eye with a searching look, he said: “Mr. Dalton, tell me one thing; it is not possible—you do not think that it is Editha’s money I am seeking?” “It would not be so strange a thing if you were; Editha has a pretty penny of her own; but let me tell you not a dollar of it will you get more than you have already got,” he snapped, savagely, and with a scowl at his daughter, as he thus referred to her defiance of him regarding Richard Forrester’s legacy to Earle. “I have never touched that money, sir, nor do I ever intend to do so; and it seems to me as if that fact alone should convince you that I am no fortune-hunter,” the young man said, flushing with disgust that such a motive should be imputed to him.