thus left alone, "is an
ill-conditioned person. I owe it to you to explain precisely what has
happened. But first, my dear Fyffe, give me your hand, and let me offer
you my felicitations."

I took the hand he offered and held it a moment, hardly realizing where
I stood.

"Your suit is accepted; and if you will do us the honor to dine with
us this evening, I am charged by Lady Rollinson to say that she will be
charmed to meet you at her table. There, my dear fellow," he concluded,
hastily withdrawing his hand, "you are stronger than you fancy yourself
to be."

He stood, half laughing, as he straightened the fingers of his right
hand with his left, and then shook them in memory of my grip.

I had not a word to say for myself, and I felt as foolish and awkward as
a school-boy.

"And now," said the count, laying a hand on each of my shoulders and
pressing me gently towards an arm-chair, "I will tell you what has
happened between Mr. Brunow and myself."

"Never mind about Brunow just at present, sir," I cried, recovering my
wits a little; "I have other things to think of which are of greater
moment."

"Well, yes," he answered, with a very sweet yet mournful smile, "I can
believe so. Brunow will keep."

"I am to understand, sir," I asked, "that Miss Rossano accepts the
offer of my hand?"

"Precisely," said the count, nodding with his affectionate and
melancholy smile.

"She knows my circumstances?"

"I will not say she knows them absolutely," he replied, "but I think she
has a fairly accurate knowledge of them."

"I have an income of three hundred pounds a year."

"So much as that?" he asked, with a dry, quaint look. It was so wise, so
friendly, so childlike, so gay, so unlike the dull and dreadful
aspect his face had worn when I had first known it that it affected
me strongly, "My dear Fyffe," he said, reaching his friendly hand out
towards me once more, "why should we talk about money? If you can put
Brunow out of your mind I can put money out of mine. My daughter loves
me, and the man who saved me loves my daughter; and Violet--well, she
shall speak for herself."

I was so entirely happy that I could afford to take pity on my
unsuccessful rival. When I thought how I should have felt if our cases
had been reversed--if he had won and I had been rejected--I was willing
to forgive him anything. I hoped that in course of time he would come
to see how baseless his suspicions were, but in my joy I could nurse