At Love's Cost

"Young Orme has come out to look for you," said Mr. Falconer, without

turning his head.

"I know," she said, though she also had not turned. "They want me to

sing. I will go in directly. You have not answered my question, father.

Is Sir Stephen very rich, or is all this only sham? I have heard you

say so often that display very often only covers poverty."

Falconer eyed her curiously.

"Why do you want to know? What does it matter to you?"

She shrugged her shoulders impatiently, resentfully, and he went on: "Yes, he's rich; confoundedly so. But he is playing a big game, in

which he is running some risks; and he'll want all his money to help

him win it."

"And are you joining him in the game?" she asked.

He looked at her with surprise. There was a note in her voice which he

had never heard before, a note which conveyed to him the fact that she

was no longer a girl, but a woman.

"Upon my soul, I don't know why you ask! Well, well!"--she had

repeated the impatient gesture. "I haven't made up my mind yet. He

wants me to join him. I could be of service to him; on the other hand,

I could--yes, get in his way; for I know some of the points of the game

he is playing. Yes, I could help him--or spoil him."

"And which are you going to do?" she asked, in a low voice, her eyes

veiled, her lips drawn straight.

Falconer laughed grimly. "I don't know. It all depends. Which would you

do?" he asked, half sarcastically.

She was silent for a moment, then she said: "You knew Sir Stephen some

time ago--years ago, father?"

Falconer nodded. "I did," he said, shortly.

"And you were friends, and you quarrelled?"

He looked at her with an air of surprise.

"I saw you both when you stood opposite each other after the carriage

accident," she said, coolly. "I am not blind, and I am not particularly

stupid. It didn't strike me at the time that there had been anything

wrong between you, but I have since seen you look at Sir Stephen,

and--you have an expressive face sometimes, oh, my father!"

He grinned grimly.

"You appear to keep your eyes open, Maude. Yes; there was a row between

us, and there was a grudge--"

--"Which you mean to pay off?" she said, as impassively as if they

were speaking of the merest trivialities.