If Richmond had been standing behind his daughter, making menacing faces at Peter over her shoulder, that sore-beset, young man could not have felt him more curdlingly. “You don’t know anything of the kind,” he blustered. “Don’t you dare tell your father anything like that.” She scrutinized him. “You seem to have father on the brain.... Peter--Hanky--_what_ has he been saying to you?” “Nothing,” lied Peter shiftily. “Not a word.” “That isn’t true, Hanky. Is it?” He hung his head. “Own up. He’s been--threatening you?” “Now, look here, Beatrice--you are trying to get me into trouble,” pleaded and protested Hanky. “I haven’t said a word about your father’s having spoken to me of you.” “What has he been threatening?” persisted the girl, her hand on his arm. “You can trust me, Hanky. You know, I keep my mouth shut.” “I’ve got nothing to tell,” he insisted with a kind of whining doggedness. “All I say is, I want to marry you. If you’re stuck on another man and won’t marry me I can’t help it. But _I_ want to marry _you_.” “I understand perfectly--perfectly,” said Beatrice. “He’s compelling each of us to marry the other. I want to marry another man. You want to marry Allie. But----” “I don’t want to marry Allie!” he protested with the energy of terror. “I said nothing to you about her. Anyhow, I regard her as an underhanded, designing fraud. She told me about you and Wade. Yes, she was the one that did it.” “Well, why not?” cried Beatrice. “I’ve no objection. She knows I want to get out of marrying you.” Peter’s eyes glistened with hope. “You gave her leave to tell? You asked her to tell?” “Practically. What of it?” “I _am_ glad to hear that!” cried he with a gusty breath of relief. “I was beginning to think women were all alike--that there wasn’t any such thing as sentiment in them.” Beatrice’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “Yes, Hanky, and she practically had my permission to make love to you. I’m sure she’s just dying to marry you. Now, you’ll release me, won’t you?” Peter lit a cigarette and inspected the horizon as if hoping to sight something in the way of aid. “I can’t do it, Beatrice,” he finally said, deeply apologetic. “If I could tell you what a ghastly fix I’m in, I assure you you’d not blame me.” “I don’t blame you,” said she. “It’s just as well for me to do it alone.” “You’re going to release me?” cried he eagerly. “What would father say if he saw you now!” said she. The eagerness whisked out of his face. “That’s better,” mocked she. “But I’ll not tease you, Hanky--with your soul torn between love and money. I shall take the whole responsibility. I shall refuse to marry you.” But Peter continued to look depressed. “Your father’ll think it was something I said.” “My father will not think I could have been discouraged that easily--or at all--if I wished to be your wife. He’ll know you are too fond of money to risk losing any. Don’t be alarmed, Peter. Father will understand the instant you tell him.”