It occurred to Bernard that--by some mysterious impulse--she was
suddenly presenting him with a chance to ask her the question that
Blanche Evers had just suggested. Two or three other things as well
occurred to him. Captain Lovelock had been struck with the fact that she
favored Gordon Wright's addresses to her daughter, and Captain Lovelock
had a grotesque theory that she had set her heart upon seeing this young
lady come into six thousand a year. Miss Evers's devoted swain had never
struck Bernard as a brilliant reasoner, but our friend suddenly found
himself regarding him as one of the inspired. The form of depravity into
which the New England conscience had lapsed on Mrs. Vivian's part was
an undue appreciation of a possible son-in-law's income! In this
illuminating discovery everything else became clear. Mrs. Vivian
disliked her humble servant because he had not thirty thousand dollars
a year, and because at a moment when it was Angela's prime duty to
concentrate her thoughts upon Gordon Wright's great advantages, a clever
young man of paltry fortune was a superfluous diversion.

"When you say clever, everything is relative," he presently observed.
"Now, there is Captain Lovelock; he has a certain kind of cleverness; he
is very observant."

Mrs. Vivian glanced up with a preoccupied air.

"We don't like Captain Lovelock," she said.

"I have heard him say capital things," Bernard answered.

"We think him brutal," said Mrs. Vivian. "Please don't praise Captain
Lovelock."