"Have you
seen Mr. Cossey lately?"
"No. Why do you ask that? I thought we had agreed to drop that
subject."
As a matter of fact it had not been alluded to since Edward left the
house.
"You know that Miss de la Molle will not marry him after all?"
"Yes, I know. She will not marry him because you forced him to give up
the mortgages."
"You ought to be much obliged to me. Are you not pleased?"
"No. I no longer care about anything. I am tired of passion, and sin
and failure. I care for nothing any more."
"It seems that we have both reached the same goal, but by different
roads."
"You?" she answered, looking up; "at any rate you are not tired of
money, or you would not do what you have done to get it."
"I never cared for money itself," he said. "I only wanted money that I
might be rich and, therefore, respected."
"And you think any means justifiable so long as you get it?"
"I thought so. I do not think so now."
"I don't understand you to-night, William. It is time for me to go to
dress for dinner."
"Don't go just yet. I'm leaving in a minute."
"Leaving? Where for?"
"London; I have to go up to-night about some business."
"Indeed; when are you coming back?"
"I don't quite know--to-morrow, perhaps. I wonder, Belle," he went on,
his voice shaking a little, "if you will always think as badly of me
as you do now.
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