"Mr. Bines,--I'm perfectly reasonable and serious--I mean it--are you quite sure you didn't lose your wits when you lost your money?" "It _may_ be considered a witless thing to marry a girl who would marry for money--but never mind _that_--I'm used to taking chances." She glanced up at him, curiously. "You know I'm to marry Mr. Shepler the tenth of next month." "Your grammar is faulty--tense is wrong--You should say 'I _was_ to have married Mr. Shepler.' I'm fastidious about those little things, I confess." "How can you jest?" "I can't. Don't think this is any joke. _He'll_ find out." "Who will find out,--what, pray?" "He will. He's already said he was afraid there might have been some nonsense between you and me, because we talked that evening at the Oldakers'. He told my grandfather he wasn't at all sure of you until that day I lost my money." "Oh, I see--and of course you'd like your revenge--carrying me off from him just to hurt him." "If you say that I'll hold you in my arms again." He started toward her. "I've loved you _so_, I tell you--all the time--all the time." "Or perhaps it's a brutal revenge on me,--after thinking I'd only marry for money." "I've loved you always, I tell you." He came up to her, more gently now, and took up her hand to kiss it. He saw the ring. "Take his ring off!" She looked up at him with an amused little smile, but did not move. He reached for the hand, and she put it behind her. "Take it off," he said, harshly. He forced her hand out, took off the ring with its gleaming stone, none too gently, and laid it on the table behind him. Then he covered the hand with kisses. "Now it's my hand. Perhaps there was a little of both those feelings you accuse me of--perhaps I _did_ want to triumph over both you and Shepler--and the other people who said you'd never marry for anything but money--but do you think I'd have had either one of those desires if I hadn't loved you? Do you think I'd have cared how many Sheplers you married if I hadn't loved you so, night and day?--always turning to you in spite of everything,--loving you always, under everything--always, I tell you." "Under what--what 'everything'?" "When I was sure you had no heart--that you couldn't care for any man except a rich man--that you would marry only for money." "You thought that?" "Of course I thought it." "What has changed you?" "Nothing. I'm going to change it now by proving differently. I shall take you against your will--but I shall make you love me--in the end. I know you--you're a woman, in spite of yourself!" "You were entirely right about me. I would even have married you because of the money--" "Tell me what it is you're holding back--don't wait." "Let me think--don't talk, please!" She sat a long time silent, motionless, her eyes fixed ahead. At length she stirred herself to speak.