Later, when Mr. Tredgold had gone out in his Bath-chair for his afternoon “turn,” Stella came back very quietly to his room and gathered up poor Charlie’s shillings. She did not know very much about the value of money, though she spent so much; indeed, if she had ever felt the need of it it was in this prosaic form of a few shillings. She thought he might want them, poor Charlie, whom she had not the faintest intention of giving up, whatever papa might say. CHAPTER XV. But Stella neither shuddered nor hesitated. She was in the highest spirits, flying everywhere, scarcely touching the ground with her feet. “Oh, yes! I’m engaged to Sir Charles,” she said to all her friends. “Papa won’t hear of it, but he will have to give in.” “Papas always give in when the young people hold out,” said some injudicious sympathiser. “Don’t they?” cried Stella, giving a kiss to that lady. She was not in the least discouraged. There was a great deal of gaiety going on at the time, both in the village (as it was fashionable to call the town of Sliplin) and in the county, and Stella met her Charlie everywhere, Mr. Tredgold having no means, and perhaps no inclination, to put a stop to this. He did not want to interfere with her pleasures. If she liked to dance and “go on” with that fellow, let her. She should not marry him; that was all. The old gentleman had no wish to be unkind to his daughter. He desired her to have her fling like the rest, to enjoy herself as much as was possible; only for this one thing he had put down his foot. “When is that confounded regiment going away?” he asked Katherine. “Dear papa,” Katherine replied, “won’t you think it over again? Charlie Somers has perhaps no money, but Stella is very fond of him, and he of----” “Hold your tongue!” said old Tredgold. “Hold your confounded tongue! If I don’t give in to her, do you think it”--with a dash--“likely that I will to you?”