Of what use to him was it to have won this
sweet woman's love, of what use to have put this pure water of
happiness to his lips in the desert of his lonely life, only to see
the cup that held it shattered at a blow? To him the story of the
money loan--in consideration of which, as it were, Ida had put herself
in pawn, as the Egyptians used to put the mummies of their fathers in
pawn--was almost incredible. To a person of his simple and honourable
nature, it seemed a preposterous and unheard of thing that any man
calling himself a gentleman should find it possible to sink so low as
to take such advantage of a woman's dire necessity and honourable
desire to save her father from misery and her race from ruin, and to
extract from her a promise of marriage in consideration of value
received. Putting aside his overwhelming personal interest in the
matter, it made his blood boil to think that such a thing could be.
And yet it was, and what was more, he believed he knew Ida well enough
to be convinced that she would not shirk the bargain. If Edward Cossey
came forward to claim his bond it would be paid down to the last
farthing. It was a question of thirty thousand pounds; the happiness
of his life and of Ida's depended upon a sum of money. If the money
were forthcoming, Cossey could not claim his flesh and blood.
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