he money I could not refuse to carry out my
share of the bargain."

"Well," said the Squire, "this is all new to me."

"Yes," she answered, "and I should never have told you of it had it
not been for this sudden change in the position of affairs. What I
did, I did to save our family from ruin. But now it seems that Mr.
Cossey has played us false, and that we are to be ruined after all.
Therefore, the condition upon which I promised to marry him has not
been carried out, and my promise falls to the ground."

"You mean that supposing he lives, you will not marry Edward Cossey."

"Yes, I do mean it."

The Squire thought for a minute. "This is a very serious step, Ida,"
he said. "I don't mean that I think that the man has behaved well--but
still he may have given up the mortgages to Quest under pressure of
some sort and might be willing to find the money to meet them."

"I do not care if he finds the money ten times over," said Ida, "I
will not marry him. He has not kept to the letter of his bond and I
will not keep to mine."

"It is all very well, Ida," said the Squire, "and of course nobody can
force you into a distasteful marriage, but I wish to point out one
thing. You have your family to think of as well as yourself. I tell
you frankly that I do not believe that as times are it will be
possible to raise thirty thousand pounds to pay off the charges unless
it is by the help of Edward Cossey. So if he lives--and as he has
lasted so long I expect that he will live--and you refuse to go on
with your engagement to him we shall be sold up, that is all; for this
man Quest, confound him, will show us no mercy."

"I know it, father," answered Ida, "but I cannot and will not marry
him, and I do not think you can expect me to do so. I became engaged,
or rather promised to become engaged to him, because I thought that
one woman had no right to put her own happiness before the welfare of
an old family like ours, and I would have carried out that engagement
at any cost. But since then, to tell you the truth," and she blushed
deeply, "not only have I learned to dislike him a great deal more, but
I have come to care for some one else who also cares for me, and who
therefore has a right to be considered. Think, father, what it means
to a woman to sell herself into bodily and mental bondage--when she
cares for another man."

"Well, well," said her father with some irritation, "I am no authority
upon matters of sentiment; they