r in New York, Mr. William Scott. He was
not alone; a young man was sitting in his office.

"'You may speak freely,' said Mr. Scott; 'it is my son Richard.'

"I looked at the young man, he looked at me, and we recognized each
other.

"'Susie!'

"'Richard!"

"Formerly, as children, we had often played together and were great
friends. Seven or eight years before this meeting he had been sent to
Europe to finish his education. We shook hands; his father made me
sit down, and asked what had brought me. He listened to my tale; and
replied:

"'You would require twenty or thirty thousand dollars. No one would lend
you such a sum upon the uncertain chances of a very complicated lawsuit.
If you are in difficulties; if you need assistance--'

"'It is not that, father. That is not what Miss Percival asks.'

"'I know that very well, but what she asks is impossible.'

"He rose to let me out. Then the sense of my helplessness overpowered me
for the first time since my father's death. I burst into a violent flood
of tears. An hour later Richard Scott was with me.

"'Susie,' he said, 'promise to accept what I am going to offer.'

"I promised him.

"'Well,' said he, 'on the single condition that my father shall know
nothing about it, I place at your disposal the necessary sum.'

"'But then you ought to know what the lawsuit is--what it is worth.'

"'I do not know a single word about it, and I do not wish to. Besides,
you have promised to accept it; you can not withdraw now.'

"I accepted. Three months after the case was ours. All this vast
property became beyond dispute the property of Bettina and me. The
other side offered to buy it of us for five million dollars. I consulted
Richard.

"'Refuse it and wait,' said he; 'if they offer you such a sum it is
because the property is worth double.'

"'However, I must return you your money; I owe you a great deal.'

"'Oh! as for that there is no hurry; I am very easy about it; my money
is quite safe now.'

"'But I should like to pay you at once. I have a horror of debt! Perhaps
there is another way without selling the property. Richard, will you be
my husband?'

"Yes, Monsieur le Cure, yes," said Mrs. Scott, laughing, "it is thus
that I threw myself at my husband's head. It is I who asked his hand.
But really I was obliged to act thus. Never, never, would he have
spoken; I had become too rich, and as it was me he loved, and not my
money, he was becoming terribly afraid