The Sauk Centre herald., 1909-09-09
Maud,s tone was half an admission

MAUD tone was half an aQmlSSlon.
That's all wanted you to say"
interrupted the American. $50 that's
settled, and you're going to help me-"
NO" answered Lady Maud quietly;
81 won't help you to break on that en-
gagement. But If it should come to
nothing, without your interfering
that is, by the girls own free will
and choice and change of mind, I'd
help you to marry her if could"
But you admit that she's going to
be miserable" said Van Torp stub
bornly.
I'm sorry for her, but it's none Of
my business. It's not honorable to
try and make trouble between en-
gagged people, no matter how ILL.,
matched they may be-"
Funny idea of honor" observed
the American, that you're bound to
let a friend of yours break her neck
at the very gravel pit where you were
nearly smashed yourself! In the hunt
ing field you'd grab her bride if she
wouldn't listen to you, but in a mat
ter of marriage-oh, no! It's dishon-
orable to interfere She's made her
choice and she must abide by it. and
all that kind of stuff"
Lady Maud's clear eyes met his
angry blue ones calmly.
II don't like you when you say such
things" she said, lowering her voice
a little
Il didn't mean to be rude" an
swered the millionaire, almost hum
bly,. You see / don't always know. /
learnt things differently from what
you did. suppose you'd think it an
insult if said I'd give large sum of
money to your charity the day ! mar
ried Nine. Cordova, if you'd help me
through"
Please stop" Lady Maud's face
darkened visibly. That's not like
you"
"I1l give a million pounds sterling"
said Mr.. Van Torp slowly.
Lady Maud leaned back in her cor
ner of the sofa, clasping her hands
rather tightly together in her lap. Her
white throat flushed as when the light
of dawn kisses Parian marble, and the
fresh tint in her cheeks deepened soft
ly; her lips were tightly shut, her
eyelids quivered a little, and she
looked straight before her across the
room.
You can do pretty good deal with
a million pounds" said Mr.. Van Torp,
after the silence had lasted nearly
half a minute.
Don't" cried Lady Maud, in an
odd voice.
Forty thousand pounds year." OBJ
served the millionaire thoughtfully
s'You could do quite a great deal ot
good with that, couldn't you!"
Don't! Please don't!.
She pressed her hands to her ears
and rose at the same instant. Per
haps it was she, after all, and not her
friend who had been brought suddenly
to a great cross-road in life. She
stood still one moment by the sofa
without looking down at her COM
panion; then she left the room
opi uPLAy, oAQ sdut Idc oOOi OCAAA3
her
Van Torp got up from his seat slow
ly when she was gone, and went to
the window. softly blowing a queer
tune between his closed teeth and
his open lips, without quite whistling.
well" he said aloud, in a tone of
doubt, after a minute or two.
But he said no more, for he was
much too reticent and sensible a per
son to talk to himself audibly even
when he was alone, and much too cau-
tious to be sure that servant might
not be within hearing, though the door
was shut. He stood before the win
dow nearly a quarter of an hour, think
ing that Lady Maud might come back.
but as no sound of any step broke the
silence he understood that he was
not to see her again that day, and he
quietly let himself out of the house
and went OF, not altogether discon-
tented with the extraordinary impress
sion he had made
Lady Maud sat alone upstairs, so
absorbed in her thoughts that she did
not hear the click of the lock as he
opened and shut the front door.
She was much more amazed at her
self than surprised by the offer he had
made. Temptation, in any reasonable
sense of the word, had passed by her
in life, and she had never before ur-
derstood what it could mean to her.
She was eight-and-twenty years of
age and a widow, and now It came
to her suddenly in a shape of ire
mendous strength, through her trusted
friend, who had helped her for years
to help others. 1t was real tempta-
ton. The man who offered her a mil
lion pounds to save miserable wretches
from a life of unspeakable horror,
could offer twice as much, four, five.
or ten millions perhaps. No one knew
the vast extent of his wealth, and in
an age of colossal fortunes she had
often heard his spoken of with the
half-dozen greatest. You can do
quite great deal of good with forty
thousand pounds year"
Van Torp's rough-hewn speech rang
through her head, and somehow its
reckless grammar gave it strength
and made it stick In her memory, word
for word. In the drawer of the writ
ing table before which she was sitting
there was q little file of letters that