"Can money keep it quiet, George?" "I expect so, but who would be fool enough to pay for such a fellow?" "I would, and will, if you can manage it without letting my name appear." "My dear boy, how does it interest you? Why should you do such a quixotic thing? It is twenty-five thousand francs." "Only twenty-five thousand francs! I'll give you the cheque this minute George, if you can, in your own way, free the poor devil." "But Nicholas--you must be mad my dear boy!--Or you have some strong motive I do not know of." "Yes, I have--I want this chap freed from disaster, not for his sake, but for the sake of the family. What must that poor lady have gone through, and that poor girl!" George looked at me with his whimsical cynical eye. "It's awfully decent of you, Nicholas," was all he said though, and I reached for my cheque-book, and wrote a cheque for thirty thousand francs with my stylo. "You may need the extra five thousand, George--to make sure of the thing, and I count on you to patch it up as soon as you can." He left after that, promising to see into the affair at once, and telephone me the result--and when he had gone I tried to think over what it all means? Alathea did not know of this when I asked her to marry me last week. She must never know that I am paying, even if that makes matters easy enough for her to refuse me. The reason of her long silence is because this fresh trouble has fallen upon them, I am sure. I feel so awfully, not being able to comfort her. The whole burden upon those young shoulders.-- Just as I wrote that yesterday, Burton came in to say that Miss Sharp was in the little salon, and wished to see me, and I sent him to pray her to come in. I rose from my chair to bow to her when she entered, she never shakes hands. I was awfully pained to see the change in her. Her poor little white face was thin and woebegone and even her lips pale, and her air was not so proud as usual. "Won't you sit down," I said with whatever of homage I could put into my voice. She was so humbled and miserable, that I knew she would even have taken off her glasses if I had asked her to, but of course I would not do that. She seemed to find it hard to begin. I felt troubled for her and started. "I am awfully glad that you have come back." She locked her hands together, in the shabby, black suede gloves. "I have come to tell you that if you will give me twenty-five thousand francs this afternoon, I will accept your offer, and will marry you." I held out my hand in my infinite joy, but I tried to control all other exhibition of emotion. "That is awfully good of you--I can't say how I thank you," I said in a voice which sounded quite stern. "Of course I will give you anything in the world you want." And again I reached for my cheque-book and wrote a cheque for fifty thousand and handed it to her. She looked at it, and went crimson. "I do not want all that, twenty-five thousand is enough. That is the price of the bargain."