They might take me and chuck me into any hole
they pleased."
"But I couldn't be married in that way, papa dear. I couldn't be married
at all to--to one man--when another man had a claim on me."
"Had a claim on you? How do you mean?"
"He'll have that--if he pays for everything--pays for everything for
years and years back. Don't you see?"
"A claim on you for what, pray?"
"That's what I don't know. But whatever it is, I shall feel that I'm in
his debt."
"Nonsense, dear. I call that morbid. It _is_ morbid."
"But don't you think it's what he's working for? I can't see anything
else that--that could tempt him; and the minute we make a bargain with
him we agree to his terms."
There was a long silence before he said, wearily:
"If we call the deal off we must do it with our eyes open to the
consequences. Ashley would almost certainly throw you over--"
"No; because that possibility couldn't arise."
"And you'll have to be prepared for the disgrace--"
"I shall not look on it as disgrace so much as--paying. It will be
paying for what we've had--if not in one sort of coin, then in another.
But whatever it is, we shall be paying the debt ourselves; we sha'n't be
foisting it off on some one else.
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