“Still--men do succeed, uncle Robert,” she said, clinging rather desperately to the hope that he had only been lecturing her and had some pleasant surprise in store. “Of course they do, my dear,” he answered. “And it’s possible for Jack to succeed, too, if he’ll go about it in the right way.” “How?” asked Katharine, eagerly, and immediately her face brightened again. “Just as I said. If he’ll show that he can stick to any sort of occupation for a year, I’ll see what can be done.” “But that sticking, as you call it--all day at a desk--is just what he can’t do. He wasn’t made for it, he--” “Well then, what is he made for? I wish you would get him to make a statement explaining his peculiar gifts--” “Now don’t be angry again, uncle Robert! This is rather a serious matter for Jack and me. Do you tell me, in real earnest, quite, quite honestly, that as far as you know the only way for Jack to earn his living is to go into an office for a year, to begin with? Is that what you mean?” “Yes, child. Upon my word--there, you’ll believe me now, won’t you? That’s the only way I can see, if he really means to work. My dear--I’m not a boy, and I’m very fond of you--I’ve no reason for deceiving you, have I?” “No, uncle dear--but you were angry at first, you know.” “No doubt. But I’m not angry now, nor are you. We’ve discussed the matter calmly. And we’re putting out of the question the fact that if I chose to give Jack anything in the way of money, my cheque-book is in this drawer, and I have the power to do it--without any inconvenience,” added the very rich man, thoughtfully. “But you tell me that he would not accept it. It’s hard to believe, but you know him better than I do, and I accept your statement. I may as well tell you that for the honour of the family and to get rid of all this nonsense about a secret marriage I’m perfectly willing to do this. Listen. I’ll invite you all--the whole family--to my place on the river, and I’ll tell them all what has happened and we’ll have a sort of ‘post facto’ wedding there, very quietly, and then announce it to the world. And I’ll settle enough on you, personally--not on your husband--to give you an income you can manage to live on comfortably--” “Oh!” cried Katharine. “You’re too kind, uncle Robert--and I thank you with all my heart--just as though we could take it from you--I do, indeed--” “Never mind that, child. But you say you can’t take it. You mean, I suppose, that if it were your money--if I made it so--Jack would refuse to live on it. Let’s be quite clear.” “That’s exactly it. He would never consent to live on it. He would feel--he’d be quite right, too--that we had got married first in order to force money out of you, for the honour of the family, as you said yourself.”