“He is my friend, and I love and respect him. I would rather injure myself than injure him. If the thought which came to me does not come to you, I shall rejoice to feel that I was mistaken. Indeed, I feel so now.” “Go on, doctor. If I am blind, open my eyes.” “According to Ross Kingman’s story, the man who was with Buckstone offered a consideration to him if he would marry Mary, and thus remove all legal doubts in regard to the union.” “Ross told the sheriff the same story.” “Do you know of any man in the world who has anything to gain by that marriage?” “I do not. If Dick Birch hired Buckstone to marry her, it was in order to make her an honest woman. He proposed such a plan to me last night, and I assented to it. For her sake I desired it. I loved her, and I would have done anything to save her from even a day of misery.” “Suppose, on further examination, the marriage had proved to be illegal and void, and that Buckstone had wholly deserted and abandoned her. What would you have done?” asked the doctor, looking sharply into the eye of Eugene. “I don’t know.” “Would you have married her?” “She would not have consented while Buckstone was alive.” “Would you, if she consented?” “I would.” “So I supposed.” “Why should you suppose so?” “Before you returned, I had a conversation with Mr. Birch. We both agreed that you would marry her, in spite of her position before the world.” “I confess that such a thought occurred to me, even before I sailed from Liverpool.” “I did not know you personally, Mr. Hungerford; but from your friend’s eloquent description of your noble, but--you will pardon me--slightly eccentric character, I had no doubt that Mary would become Mrs. Hungerford, if she could lawfully be your wife. Mr. Birch was equally, or rather more, confident, from his better knowledge of you.” “What was Dick’s opinion of such a marriage?” “He condemned it with all his might, while I favored it. We discussed the matter for hours together in this room.” “Why did he condemn it?” “Because it would lower you in the estimation of the world; because you would be pointed at as the _millionnaire_ who had married a--never mind what he called her.” “Did he dare----” “No, no, Mr. Hungerford; it was nothing very bad; a castaway--that was all.” “But, after all, Dick was only thinking of my good name and reputation; it was kind of him, even if he was mistaken.” “Certainly it was; I honored him for his manly course, though I differed from him.” “Is this the thought which I was expected to divine?” “No, by no means. Did you ever observe that Mr. Birch was attentive to your sister?” “Well, rather so; I think they are inclined to be fond of each other. I have noticed it more since we returned than before,” replied Eugene, still struggling to grasp the mysterious thought which had darkened the mind of his companion. “Mr. Birch was opposed to your marrying Mary; and he feared that you would marry her.” “Just so.”