sked your daughter to be my wife."

"Knowing that my consent would be withheld?"

"Taking that for granted--yes."

"Very good; your frankness is commendable. Before we go any farther, let
me ask one question. Would anything I could give you induce you to go
about your business--to disappear, so to speak?"

"Yes."

"Name it," said the President, with ill-concealed satisfaction.

"Your daughter's hand in marriage."

"Ah;"--he lost his hold upon the hopeful alternative and made no
sign--"nothing less?"

"Nothing less."

"Very good again; then we may go on to other matters. How do you expect
to support a wife whose allowance of pin-money has probably exceeded
your entire income?"

"As many a better man has done before me, when the woman of his choice
was willing to put love before luxury," quoth Brockway, with more
philosophy than he could properly lay claim to.

"H-m; love in a cottage, and all that, I suppose. It's very romantic,
but you'll pardon me if I confess I'm not able to take any such
philosophical view of the matter."

"Oh, certainly; I didn't suppose you would be. But if you don't like it,
the remedy is in your own hands," said Brockway, with great composure.

"Ah; yesterday you told me I was mistaken in my man; this time it is you
who are mistaken. Gertrude will get nothing from me."

Brockway met the cool stare of the calculating eyes without flinching,
and refused to be angry.

"You know very well I didn't mean that," he said, calmly. "I wouldn't
touch a penny of your money under any circumstances that I can imagine
just now."

"Then what do you mean?" demanded the President.

Brockway thought he might as well die fighting, so he shrugged his
shoulders and made shift to look indifferent and unconcerned.

"I'm well enough satisfied with my present income and prospects, and
Gertrude is quite willing to share them with me; but if you think I'm
not earning enough money, why, you are the President of a very
considerable railway company, and I'll cheerfully attack anything you
see fit to give me from the general passenger agency down."

"Ha!" said the President, and for once in a way he acknowledged himself
fairly outdone in cold-blooded assurance; "you have the courage of your
convictions to say that to me."

"Not at all," replied Brockway, riding at a gallop along the newly
discovered road to the President's favor; "I merely suggest it to help
you out. I'm very well contented where I am.