Evelyn; take it.' I
never cared much for money; I fancy I could get on pretty well on a
sovereign a week. I say that if you had come to me with this request--"

"Precisely," Lord Evelyn said, quickly. "You would have said yes, if I
had come to you. But because it is Lind, whom you distrust, you fall
away from the height of self-sacrifice, and regard the proposal from the
point of view of the Waldegrave Club. Mind you, I am not counselling you
one way or the other. I am only pointing out to you that it is your
dislike of Lind that prevents your doing what you otherwise would have
done."

"Very well," said the other, boldly. "Have I not reason to distrust him?
How can I explain his conduct and his implied threats except on the
supposition that he has been merely playing with me, as far as his
daughter is concerned; and that as soon as I had handed over this
property I should find it out? Oh, it is a very pretty scheme
altogether! This heap of English money transferred to the treasury; Lind
at length achieving his ambition of being put on the Council; Natalie
carried off to Italy; and myself granted the honor of stepping into
Lind's shoes in Lisle Street. On the other hand: 'Refuse, and we pack
you off to America.' Now, you know, Evelyn, one does not like to be
threatened into anything!"

"Then you have decided to say, No?"

He did not answer for a second or two; when he did, his manner was quite
changed.

"I rather think I know what both you and Natalie would have me do,
although you won't say so explicitly. And if you and she had come to me
with this proposal, do you think there would have been any difficulty? I
should have been satisfied if she had put her hand in mine, and said,
'Thank you.' Then I should have reminded her that she was sacrificing
something too."

He relapsed into silence again; Lord Evelyn was vaguely conscious that
the minutes were passing by, and that his friend seemed as far off as
ever from any decision.

"You remember the old-fashioned rose-garden, Evelyn?"

"At the beeches? Yes."

"Don't you think Natalie would like the view from that side of the
house? And if she chose that side, I was thinking of having a
conservatory built all the length of the rooms, with steps opening out
into the rose-garden. She could go out there for a stroll of a morning."

So these had been his dreams.

"If I go to America," he said presently, "I should expect you to look
after the old place a little bit