376
CHAPTER XXVII 391
CHAPTER XXVIII 405
CHAPTER XXIX 421
CHAPTER XXX 431

FROM THE HOUSETOPS

CHAPTER I

Mr. Templeton Thorpe was soon to be married for the second time. Back in
1860 he married a girl of twenty-two, and now in the year 1912 he was
taking unto himself another girl of twenty-two. In the interim he had
achieved a grandson whose years were twenty-nine. In his seventy-seventh
year he was worth a great many millions of dollars, and for that and no
other reason perhaps, one of the newspapers, in commenting on the
approaching nuptials, declared that nobody could now deny that he was a
philanthropist.

* * * * *

"I daresay you are right, Mrs. Tresslyn," said old Templeton Thorpe's
grandson, bitterly. "He hasn't many more years to live."

The woman in the chair started, her eyes narrowing. The flush deepened in
her cheeks. It had been faint before and steady, but now it was ominous.

"I fear you are again putting words into my mouth," she said coldly. "Have
I made any such statement?"

"I did not say that you had, Mrs. Tresslyn," said the young man. "I merely
observed that you were right. It isn't necessary to put the perfectly
obvious into words. He is a very old man, so you are right in believing
that he hasn't many years left to live. Nearly four times the age of
Anne,--that's how old he is,--and time flies very swiftly for him."

"I must again remind you that you are in danger of becoming offensive,
Braden. Be good enough to remember that this interview is not of my
choosing. I consented to receive you in--"

"You knew it was inevitable--this interview, as you call it. You knew I
would come here to denounce this damnable transaction. I have nothing to
apologise for, Mrs. Tresslyn. This is not the time for apologies. You may
order me to leave your house, but I don't believe you will find any
satisfaction in doing so. You would still know that I have a right to
protest against this unspeakable marriage, even though it should mean
nothing more to me than the desire to protect a senile old man against
the--"

"Your grandfather is the last man in the world to be described as senile,"
she broke in, with a thin smile.

"I could have agreed with you a month ago, but not now," said he savagely.

"Perhaps you would better go