thousands! You sure heard of the trench motor-tool for diggin', I know, because 'twas in all the English papers after the war had broken out, and Johnny was at the Front. There was all that about his Victoria Cross at the same time, or was it a bit before? You can tell me, I guess?" "It must have been before. I never knew why he was decorated," Marise said. "He wouldn't tell you when ye asked?" cried Mothereen, as certain as she was of life that the girl _had_ asked--yes, begged and prayed! "He never did tell." "Well, ye shall read the newspaper paragraphs yerself--American papers, mind ye!--for he never sent me the English ones, and I got what I got through his friends. I've columns cut out. And with them there's the praise of the trench machine, and the new kind of steel--Radium steel, he calls it--that they say will make him a millionaire in a year or two." "A millionaire!" echoed Marise. "I thought he was poor!" "Poor! Ye thought that--yet ye _married_ him--you, who could get anyone ye liked, from Princes of the Blood down to Cotton Kings! You _darlin'_! Well, ye'll have yer reward. The boy is not poor. He's rich--what _anybody_ would call rich." "Then why----" Marise burst out, and stopped herself. If she hadn't bitten back the words, they would have tumbled out: "_Why_ did he marry me?" She felt very small in spirit and mean of soul compared with humble Mothereen, whose faith and loyalty had bridged the dark years with gold. Why had a man brought up by Mothereen wanted to play the dummy hand in this ridiculous game of marriage? CHAPTER XXXII THE BEREAVED ONE When his ship docked, two telegrams were handed to Lord Severance. The first which he opened was from Mrs. Sorel, and he glanced through it eagerly. "Everything going as well as could be expected, but your return and final completion of arrangement eagerly awaited.--Mary S." This was not quite as reassuring, somehow, as the sender intended it to be. There seemed to be a hidden meaning behind the words, which twanged the wrong chords of Severance's emotions. Hastily he tore open the second envelope, hoping to find a message from Marise herself. But the signature was "Constantine Ionides." Then Severance read with horrified, incredulous eyes, "OEnone died suddenly last night of heart failure." For a moment Tony did not understand all that the news would mean for him. OEnone dead! Well, he was free, at least! The hateful farce would not have to be gone through. He could sail for New York again in a few days. But a shock of realisation broke the thought. Not to marry OEnone meant that he would not get his uncle's promised wedding gift. A fortune was lost! The blow was a staggering one. He felt its full force, as if he had abruptly turned to face a gale from the east. Wasn't it just his luck? Didn't everything always go like that for him in life? Almost to lay his hand on the things he wanted, to see them slip away from under his fingers!