At this moment Charles perceived Lady Mary at a little distance, propelling herself gently over the grass in the direction of the summer-house. In another second she had perceived Charles and Ruth, and had turned precipitately, and hobbled away round the corner with surprising agility. "Confound her!" inwardly ejaculated Charles. "I wish to know how much you lent him," said Ruth again, as he did not answer, happily unconscious of what had been going on behind her back. "Only what I was well able to afford." "And has he paid it back since?" "I am sure he understood I should not expect him to pay it back at once." "But he has had it three years." Charles did not answer. "I feel sure he is not able to pay it. Will you kindly tell me how much it was?" "No, Miss Deyncourt; I think not." "Why not?" "Because--excuse me, but I perceive that if I do you will instantly wish to pay it." "I do wish to pay it." "I thought so." There was a short silence. "I still wish it," said Ruth at last. Charles was silent. Her pertinacity annoyed and yet piqued him. Being unmarried, he was not accustomed to opposition from a woman. He had no intention of allowing her to pay her brother's debt, and he wished she would drop the subject gracefully, now that he had made that fact evident. "Perhaps you don't know," continued Ruth, "that I am very well off." (As if he did not know it! As if Lady Mary had not casually mentioned Ruth's fortune several times in his hearing!) "Lady Deyncourt left me twelve hundred a year, and I have a little of my own besides. You may not be aware that I have fourteen hundred and sixty-two pounds per annum." "I am very glad to hear it." "That is a large sum, you will observe." "It is riches," assented Charles, "if your expenditure happens to be less." "It does happen to be considerably less in my case." "You are to be congratulated. And yet I have always understood that society exacts great sacrifices from women in the sums they feel obliged to devote to dress." "Dress is an interesting subject, and I should be delighted to hear your views on it another time; but we are talking of something else just at this moment." "I beg your pardon," said Charles, quickly, who did not quite like being brought back to the case in point. "I--the truth was, I wished to turn your mind from what we were speaking of. I don't want you to count sovereigns into my hand. I really should dislike it very much." "You intend me to think from that remark that it was a small sum," said Ruth, with unexpected shrewdness. "I now feel sure it was a large one. It ought to be paid, and there is no one to do it but me. I know that what is firmness in a man is obstinacy in a woman, so do not on your side be too firm, or, who knows? you may arouse some of that obstinacy in me to which I should like to think myself superior."