Remember， I have something to offer， Haswell， for instance， a large fortune of which I will settle half--it is a good thing to do in our business，--and a baronetcy that will be a peerage before long."
"A peerage！ Have you squared that？"
"I think so. There will be a General Election within the next three months， and on such occasions a couple of hundred thousand in cool cash come in useful to a Party that is short of ready money. I think I may say that it is settled. She will be the Lady Aylward， or any other name she may fancy， and one of the richest women in England. Now have I your support？"
"Yes， my dear friend， why not， though Barbara does not want money， for she has plenty of her own， in first-class securities that I could never persuade her to vary， for she is shrewd in that way and steadily refuses to sign anything. Also she will probably be my heiress--and， Aylward，" here a sickly look of alarm spread itself over his face， "I don't know how long I have to live. That infernal doctor examined my heart this morning and told me that it was weak. Weak was his word， but from the tone in which he said it， I believe that he meant more.
Aylward， I gather that I may die any day."
"Nonsense， Haswell， so may we all，" he replied， with an affectation of cheerfulness which failed to carry conviction.
Presently Mr. Haswell， who had hidden his face in his hand， looked up with a sigh and said：
"Oh！ yes， of course you have my support， for after all she is my only relation and I should be glad to see her safely married. Also， as it happens， she can't marry anyone without my consent， at any rate until she is five and twenty， for if she does， under her father's will all her property goes away， most of it to charities， except a beggarly ā200 a year. You see my brother John had a great horror of imprudent marriages and a still greater belief in me， which as it chances， is a good thing for you."
"Had he？" said Sir Robert. "And pray why is it a good thing for me？"
"Because， my dear Aylward， unless my observation is at fault， there is another Richard in the field， our late partner， Vernon， of whom， by the way， Barbara is extremely fond， though it may only be in a friendly fashion. At any rate she pays more attention to his wishes and opinions than to mine and yours put together."
At the mention of Alan's name Aylward started violently.
"I feared it，" he said， "and he is more than ten years my junior and a soldier， not a man of business. Also there is no use disguising the truth， although I am a baronet and shall be a peer and he is nothing but a beggarly country gentleman with a D.S.O. tacked on to his name， he belongs to a different class to us， as she does too on her mother's side. Well， I can smash him up， for you remember I took over that mortgage on Yarleys， and I'll do it if necessary. Practically our friend has not a shilling that he can call his own. Therefore， Haswell， unless you play me false， which I don't think you will， for I can be a nasty enemy，" he added with a threat in his voice， "Alan Vernon hasn't much chance in that direction."
"I don't know， Aylward， I don't know，" replied Haswell， shaking his white head. "Barbara is a strong-willed woman and she might choose to take the man and let the money go， and then--who can stop her？ Also I don't like your idea of smashing Vernon. It isn't right， and it may come back on our own heads， especially yours. I am sorry that he has left us， as you were on Friday night， for somehow he was a good， honest stick to lean on， and we want such a stick. But I am tired now， I really can't talk any more. The doctor warned me against excitement.
Get the girl's consent， Aylward， and we'll see. Ah！ here comes my soup. Good-bye for the present."
When Sir Robert came down to luncheon he found Barbara looking particularly radiant and charming， already presiding at that meal and conversing in her best French to the foreign gentlemen， who were paying her compliments.
"Forgive me for being late，" he said； "first of all I have been talking to your uncle， and afterwards skimming through the articles in yesterday's papers on our little venture which comes out to-morrow. A cheerful occupation on the whole， for with one or two exceptions they are all favourable."
"Mon Dieu，" said the French gentlemen on the right， "seeing what they did cost， that is not strange. Your English papers they are so expensive； in Paris we have done it for half the money."
Barbara and some of the guests laughed outright， finding this frankness charming.
"But where have you been， Miss Champers？ I thought that we were going to have a round of golf together. The caddies were there， I was there， the greens had been specially rolled this morning， but there was no You."
"No，" she answered， "because Major Vernon and I walked to church and heard a very good sermon upon the observance of the Sabbath."
"You are severe，" he said. "Do you think it wrong for men who work hard all the week to play a harmless game on Sunday？"
"Not at all， Sir Robert." Then she looked at him and， coming to a sudden decision， added， "If you like I will play you nine holes this afternoon and give you a stroke a hole， or would you prefer a foursome？"
"No， let us fight alone and let the best player win."
"Very well， Sir Robert； but you mustn't forget that I am handicapped."
"Don't look angry，" she whispered to Alan as they strolled out into the garden after lunch， "I must clear things up and know what we have to face. I'll be back by tea-time， and we will have it out with my uncle."
The nine holes had been played， and by a single stroke Barbara had won the match， which pleased her very much， for she had done her best， and with such heavy odds in his favour Sir Robert， who had also done his best， was no mean opponent， even for a player of her skill. Indeed the fight had been quite earnest， for each party knew that it was but a prelude to another and more serious fight， and looked upon the result as in some sense an omen.
