For Money.—Chapters IX-XI [pp. 241-254]

For 3foney.
pected, he had plenty of ways of finding
them out; indeed, he knew quite well that
Gilbert, whom he had met repeatedly, was
his cousin; but he did not suppose that a
poor young man in a newspaper office could
ever be of much assistance to him. But as
soon as he heard of Louise's marriage, he
determined to make himself known to his
relatives at once. There was no knowing
what an infatuated old man might do for his
young wife's relatives, and it was as well to
establish himself on that footing at once.
He knew that the Warings had been living
at San Manuel for more than two weeks, and
during that time he had never been able to
catch a glimpse of the bride. He knew that
it was useless to attempt any claim on Mar ion himself, but thought that time and luck
might work in his favor. Mrs. Waring he
must first know and interest; but how to meet
her?
So musing, he wended his way to his
cousin's, with the well-defined intention of
getting an invitation to stay at her house for
a day or two at least, during which time he
knew he could manage to bring about a
meeting with Louise.
Rose was delighted to see him; Jack, who
came in later, not so much so. He never
was much of a favorite with his fellow
men.
"What brought you over?" inquired the
Doctor.
"To be gallant and say the proper thing,
I ought to answer, a wish to see you and
Rose; but I'm going to be honest, and tell
you that my physician has ordered me to
leave the city for a few days. I'm running
down a little, and rest will do me good."
"'Oh, that's too bad-for you, I mean-"
said Rose. "Where are you to be?"
"At the hotel, of course. I shall not be
here long enough to make it worth while looking for a boarding-place. I'm afraid you and
the Lennards will see a good deal of me,
though. The little ones are nice children;
Frances is an interesting girl, too."
"Why, Eugene, the hotel will be lonely
for you, so few people are ever there in the
winter."
"I expect to be lonely, and uncomfortable
enough, too," said Fleming slowly, looking
from Jack, who sat unsympathetic and im passive, to Rose, who became eager with in terest and pity. "But that is what a man
has got to expect, if he gets sick in the win ter."
"No, no; it's a shame," cried Rose im pulsively, thinking of her brothers in a sim ilar plight. "Jack, there is our spare room;
it has never been used."
"A spare room has been the death of
many a man," said Jack, lightly, but in a
tone the reverse of encouraging.
"Mine won't be Eugene's death, I can
answer for that," answered Rose with pride,
"Will you come, Eugene?"
"Don't urge him against his will, Rose.
You don't know how uncomfortable it is for
a man who lives as independently as he does
to conform to hours as we do," said Jack,
evidently expecting him to decline.
"If I don't disturb your arrangements, I
shall be too happy to come," said Fleming,
"only you must assure me that nothing shall
be altered for me. I couldn't make you un derstand how beautiful your home life is to
me."
"It's singular to me, Rose, how you could
fall into that fellow's trap so easily," said
Doctor Jack, as soon as he was alone with
his wife. "He was just fishing for that invitation, and I didn't mean to give it to him.
I hate to be sponged on."
"Why, Jack, how can you be so hatefully
suspicious? Poor boy!" cried Rose, very
much hurt.
"And what did he mean with that rubbish about a'beautiful home life?"' said
Jack, in unsentimental wrath. "Well, it's
done. He's somebody to help me smoke
my after-dinner cigar. You won't let me
smoke where you are, and as a man never
feels in such a good humor as he does with
his cigar after dinner, why you lose a great
deal of my sociable mood."
Jack was inclined to be vexed at his wife
for her hasty invitation, after scarcely three
months of married life; and in revenge rebelled at her objection to his smoking, when
1886.]
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