At Love's Cost

Falconer came in and regarded them from under his lowered lids.

"I might have expected to find you here," he said harshly to Maude.

"Yes; I came to him," she said, with a little gesture. "Why should I

not? Why should I care--"

Falconer shrugged his shoulders, and turned from her to Stafford.

"I've come to take back what I said this morning," he said, in his dry

voice. "I was hasty, and your--insensate folly in giving up the money

upset me. I have been talking the matter over with Maude, and we have

agreed to--to--continue the engagement."

Stafford lit a couple of candles and the scant light fell upon the

faces of the three, the white one of the woman, the stern and set one

of Stafford, and the hard and impassive one of Mr. Falconer.

"Of course a large sum of money will have to be found; and I must find

it. It will be settled upon Maude--with, of course, a suitable

allowance for a nobleman of your rank--"

"One moment," said Stafford, very quietly. "Before you go any further,

I have to correct a misapprehension, Mr. Falconer. I do not intend to

use my title."

"What!" exclaimed Falconer, his face growing darker.

"I intend dropping the earldom," said Stafford.

"But I don't intend you should," retorted Falconer, brutally. "If I

consent to my daughter's marrying a pauper--"

"A pauper is one who begs," said poor Stafford, his face white as

marble. "I have not yet begged--"

"Stafford!" cried Maude. Then she swung on her father. "Why do you

speak to him--to _him_--like this?--Stafford, you will yield--"

"In everything, in every way, but this," he said, with the same ominous

quietude. "If you are content to drop the title, to share the life of a

poor and an ordinary working-man--as I hope to be--"

He held out his hand, and she would have taken it, clung to it, but her

father strode between them, and with a harsh laugh, exclaimed: "You fool! Don't you see that he is wanting to get rid of you, that he

is only too glad of the excuse? Great God! have you no touch of

womanliness in you, no sense of shame--"

She swept him aside with a gesture, and advancing to Stafford, looked

straight into his eyes.

"Is--is it true?" she asked hoarsely. "Tell me! Is what he says true?

That--that rather than marry me you would go out into the world

penniless, to earn your living--you? Answer! Do--do you love me?"