myself. I'll find a way--somehow. Only, _don't_ do this."

He stirred, and murmured sleepily.

"You attend to your wedding, dear. That'll be quite enough for you to
look after."

"But I can't have a wedding if Mr. Davenant has to pay for it. Don't you
see? I can't be married at all."

When he made no response to this shot, she understood finally that he
meant to let the subject drop.




VII


It was in the nature of a relief to Olivia Guion when, on the following
day, her father was too ill to go to his office. A cold, caused by the
exposure of two nights previous, and accompanied by a rising
temperature, kept him confined to his room, though not to bed. The
occurrence, by maintaining the situation where it was, rendered it
impossible to take any irretrievable step that day. This was so much
gain.

She had slept little; she had passed most of the night in active and, as
it seemed to her, lucid thinking. Among the points clearest to her was
the degree to which she herself was involved in the present business. In