eauty and power and ruling--you say
what others have said to me. Which is the greater thing, to get what
pleases one, or to work for something which is more to one than all else
in the world? To save one life, one intellect, one great man--oh, he
has the making of a great man in him!--to save a soul, would not life be
well lost, would not love be well spent in doing it?"

"Love's labour lost," said the old man slowly, cynically, but not
without emotion.

"I have ambition," she continued. "No girl was ever more ambitious, but
my ambition is to make the most and best of myself. Place?--Jim and I
will hold it yet. Power?--it shall be as it must be; but Jim and I will
work for it to fulfil ourselves. For me--ah, if I can save him--and
I mean to do so--do you think that I would not then have my heaven on
earth? You want money--money--money, power, and to rule; and these
are to you the best things in the world. I make my choice differently,
though I would have these other things if I could; and I hope I shall.
But Jim first--Jim first, your son, Jim--my husband, Jim."

The old man got to his feet slowly. She had him at bay. "But you are
great," he said, "great! It is an awful stake--awful. Yet if you win,
you'll have what money can't buy. And listen to me. We'll make the stake
bigger. It will give it point, too, in another way. If you keep Jim
sober for four years from the day of your marriage, on the last day
of that four years I'll put in your hands for you and him, or for your
child--if you have one--five millions of dollars. I am a man of my word.
While Jim drinks I won't take him back; he's disinherited. I'll give him
nothing now or hereafter. Save him for four years,--if he can do that he
will do all, and there's five millions as sure as the sun's in heaven.
Amen and amen."

He opened the door. There was a strange soft light in her eyes as she
came to go.

"Aren't you going to kiss me?" she said, looking at him whimsically.

He was disconcerted. She did not wait, but reached up and kissed him
on the cheek. "Good-by," she said with a smile. "We'll win the stake.
Good-by."

An instant, and she was gone. He shut the door, then turned and looked
in a mirror on the wall. Abstractedly he touched the cheek she had
kissed. Suddenly a change passed over his face. He dropped in a chair,
and his fist struck the table as he said: "By God, she may do it, she
may do it! But it's life and death--it's life and death."

Societ