A nobody—like Richardson or Grein. Grein wouldn’t marry. Grein, poor faithful dogged devil, wouldn’t marry. Was Grein right or wrong? Grein had already added millions to the general wealth, and women who had never heard of him used his lights by which to compose papers inveighing against men. What Grein needed was a woman to take care of him, a woman who had sense enough to see the importance of science. But there seemed to be few such women. So Marvin concluded, and ended the day with revolt against the whole sex—except one. Next day that one met him in the hall, threw her arms round his neck, and looked up at him anxiously. He smiled down and answered the silent question. “She said she’d rather not.” “I’m so sorry. Perhaps she will think better of it.” Marvin’s face instantly lost its smile, and looked so grim that it frightened her into protest “Don’t take it so hard, beloved.” “I’m not taking it hard. I don’t care a rap.” She concluded that it was wise to say no more, and so she merely pressed his glove to her cheek and let him go. It is not strange if she misread the situation. Her almost clairvoyant perception was swallowed up in pity. That night she told her husband. “It nearly broke my heart. He said that he didn’t care, but the look on his face told a different story. It seems that she treated him lightly—just said she’d rather not.” Chase scowled. “She kept him on the string till she had compared him with all the young men she knew. Then he got maimed, and she had no more use for him.” She came and sat on the arm of his chair. “Chase, dear, we mustn’t jump to conclusions. Don’t you remember—thirty-eight years ago—how afraid I was of your fierceness? You had to wait, and you did wait. There was no breaking your will to marry me. Don’t you underestimate the tensile strength of your own son?” “You mean he won’t give her up?” “I don’t believe he will.” Chase was silent for some time, lips perfectly quiet, eyes apparently fixed on her silvery hair. “Helen, do you wish me to go on with my plot against Ferry?” “Please do. Win him over to our side.” “All right, you witch.” And he lifted her bodily from where she sat, and folded her in his arms. Chapter 25. Manganese Next evening, having been invited to come to dinner and bring some blueprints, Jimmy Hogg quietly expressed his deep delight at his chum’s safe return. Three years had confirmed Jimmy’s thoroughbred countenance in all its native unmagnetic hardness, but there was faithful friendship hidden there.