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Well, she's perfectly capable of choosing for herself, and will probably insist upon doing so. Have you spoken to her on the subject?" "Oh, most certainly not!" stammered the Prince. "Well, suppose you take it up with her," suggested Mr. Rushford, encouragingly. "If she wants you, it'll be all right with me.
"You acted unfairly, then, even with your co-conspirators!" Vernon flushed hotly, but kept himself in hand. "The retort is unworthy of you," he said. "I assure you that Miss Rushford was not in any sense a co-conspirator." "Do you mean that she was ignorant of the deception you were playing?" demanded the Prince, quickly. "No; she was not ignorant of that; but she "
"There, there," said Rushford, soothingly, repressing an inclination to laugh at the grotesque figure before him. "Don't take it so much to heart. I dare say they drink your health oftener than you imagine." "Do you really t'ink so, monsieur?" asked Pelletan, brightening. "And, depend upon it, you'll get back to them some day," continued the American.
"All that you have been telling me may be true," she said, at last; "I haven't the least doubt that it is true; but yet it doesn't quite excuse tricking the Prince of Markeld as you are doing." "I know it doesn't," admitted Vernon, instantly. "It doesn't excuse it in the least. I don't like it any more than you do, Miss Rushford.
Martin nodded thoughtfully, and, the meal being now ended, both men strolled out of doors, then wandered down to smoke a pipe on Rushford Bridge and listen to the nightly murmur of the river.
"Oh, no, you won't!" cried Vernon, fiercely, in a voice hoarse with emotion. "I, at least, demand an explanation." "An explanation?" and Rushford laughed, a little mocking laugh. "Can't your conscience give you an explanation? Or is it too deadened to do that?" "No!" said Vernon, boldly.
"I haf anticipate' monsieur's question; t'is statement will show heem." Rushford took it and glanced at the total. "Hmmmm. Four hundred and eighty francs say a hundred dollars." "T'at, monsieur," explained Pelletan, "iss based upon our present custom. As pusiness increase', so do t'e expense increase." "Of course." "But not in t'e same ratio as t'e receipts.
The duchess seemed a little shaken; after all, a man who could play with great hotels demanded some consideration! "The second reason is even more serious," she said, "at least, my nephew seemed to so consider it. He laughed at the first one; he is still young; he still believes in the nonsense of the romancers." "Does he?" commented Rushford. "That's one point in his favour, certainly.
"Perfectly," he answered, noting the stammer, and understanding it, with a quick leap of the heart. "I should, no doubt, have destroyed it at once, but I thought it would be perfectly safe in my desk." "And it was stolen? No matter, Miss Rushford. It isn't worth worrying about. I'm sick of the whole affair, anyway I shall rather welcome the catastrophe.
"You may have perceived," he said, at last, with that slight formality of utterance which Sue thought very taking, "that I was most desirous of meeting you, Miss Rushford." "I believe I did discern a sort of royal command in your eye," assented Susie, feeling suddenly at ease with him. He was evidently a mere man, even though he were a prince.
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