"Everyone! Everything! It seems as if he had been away on purpose, so that there should be no fuss. And they have always been so fond of each other. Alice would be miserable if she had to think about money; so why should she be sacrificed to Captain Macleod's notions of honour----" "My dear!----" "Yes, James! Sacrificed! You say you told him plainly the state of the case, and he----" "Behaved as a gentleman would. Expressed sorrow at my losses, but gave me to understand that it would make no difference to him." "And to Alice? He never gave a thought to her, I suppose; but you men are all alike--selfish to the core." "Really, my dear," protested Mr. Woodward, roused by this general attack. "Well, _you_ are selfish. Are you not sitting there calmly proposing to sacrifice Alice to an adventurer--a principled adventurer if you like, though that is a miserable attempt to--what was it you used to call guaranteed stock?" "A disastrous attempt to combine safety and speculation," suggested her husband, meekly. "Just so! and this is a disastrous attempt to combine common sense and romance. But I will not have Alice sacrificed. I will speak to the man myself." "You shall do nothing of the sort, my dear. If necessary, I can do it; but there is no hurry." "It must be settled before next week, unless you want a fuss; I tell you that." "It shall be settled; but I must talk to Alice first. It is surely possible she may be in love with the man?" Mrs. Woodward shook her head wisely. "But why, in heaven's name, Maria? He is handsome--gentlemanly--well born. Why should she not love him?" "Because she is in love with Jack." "God bless my soul!" CHAPTER XXIV.