and while you can?"

"Do you want reasons? Well, one has occurred to me since I came into
this room. A minute ago I said to you that you must not repeat that
extravagance; and I said if you were appealed to again you could come to
me. But what if I had already surrendered every penny in the world? I
wish to retain in my own hands at least the power to help my friends."

"That is only another form of selfishness," said Lord Evelyn, laughing.
"I fear you are as yet of weak faith, Brand."

He turned from the light, and went and sunk into the shadow of a great
arm-chair.

"Now I know what you are going to do, Evelyn," said his friend. "You are
going to talk me out of my common-sense; and I will not have it. I want
to show you why it is impossible I should agree to this demand."

"If you feel it to be impossible, it is impossible."

"My dear fellow, is it reasonable?"

"I dislike things that are reasonable."

"There is but one way of getting at you. Have you thought of Natalie?"

"Ah!" said the other, quickly raising himself into an expectant
attitude.

"You will listen now, I suppose, to reason, to common-sense. Do you
think it likely that, with the possibility of her becoming my wife, I am
going to throw away this certainty and leave her to all chances of the
world? Lind says that the Society amply provides for its officers. Very
well; that is quite probable. I tell him that I am not afraid for
myself; if I had to think of myself alone, there is no saying what I
might not do, even if I were to laugh at myself for doing it. But how
about Natalie? Lind might die. I might be sent away to the ends of the
earth. Do you think I am going to leave her at the mercy of a lot of
people whom she never saw?"

Lord Evelyn was silent.

"Besides, there is more than that," his friend continued, warmly. "You
may call it selfishness, if you like, but if you love a woman and she
gives her life into your hands--well, she has the first claim on you. I
will put it to you: do you think I am going to sell the
Beeches--when--when she might live there?"

Lord Evelyn did not answer.

"Of course I am willing to subscribe largely," his friend continued;
"and Natalie herself would say yes to that. But I am not ambitious. I
don't want to enter that grade. I don't want to sit in Lind's chair when
he gets elected to the Council, as has been suggested to me. I am not
qualified for it; I don't care about it; I can best do my own work in my