r, and
his fingers clawing irritably at the coverlet.

"Leave them alone, leave them alone!" he cried. "How dare she touch my
flowers! I'll have her shut out of the place, daughter or no daughter.
What does she want here? Begging again, I suppose. The only bond between
us--money. And she sha'n't have any. I'll be firm about it."

He was still muttering when Mrs. Swinton came into the room, bringing
with her the sheaf of blossoms she had gathered as she came along.

"Who gave you permission to pick my flowers?" the old man snarled,
taking no notice of her greeting. "I allow no one to rob my garden. You
are not to take those flowers home with you--do you understand? They
belong to me."

The daughter did not reply. She walked across the room very slowly, and
rang the bell, waiting until a maid appeared.

"Take these flowers to Mrs. Ripon, and tell her to have them arranged and
brought to Mr. Herresford's room. And now," she added, as the girl closed
the door behind her, "we must have a little talk, my dear father. I want
some money--in brief, I must have some. Dick is going, and his kit must
be got ready at once. I must have a thousand dollars."

"Must, must, must! I don't know the meaning of the word. You come here
dunning me for money as though I were made of it. Do you know what you
and your husband have cost me? I tell you I have no money for you, and I
won't be intruded upon in this way. Your visits are an annoyance, madam,
and they'd better cease."

"Yes, I know, I know. And I should not have come here to-day unless our
need had been great. My dear father, you simply must come to my aid. We
haven't a hundred dollars, and Dick's honor is pledged. He must go to the
war, and he must have the money to go with. If I could go to anybody
else and borrow it, I would; but there is no one. If you will let me have
a check for the amount, I will promise that you hear nothing more of
me--as long as you like. Come, father, shall I write out a check? You
played a jest with me the other day, and only gave me two dollars."

Herresford lay with his eyes closed and his lips tightly pressed
together. He hated these encounters with his daughter, for she generally
succeeded in getting something out of him; but he was determined she
should have nothing this morning. He took refuge in silence, his only
effectual weapon so far as Mrs. Swinton was concerned.

"Well?" she queried, after waiting for some minutes, and turning from the