"I will never give you up, Anne," he continued, with emotion. "I told the
doctor so. I would rather give up life. And you know that your love is
mine."
"But my duty is theirs. And if it came to a contest--Oh, Percival! you
know, you know which would have to give place. Papa is so resolute in
right."
"It's a shame that fortune should be so unequally divided!" cried the
young man, resentfully. "Here's Edward with an income of thirty thousand
a year, and I, his own brother, only a year or two younger, can't boast a
fourth part as many hundreds!"
"Oh, Val! your father left you better off than that!"
"But so much of it went, Anne," was the gloomy answer. "I never
understood the claims that came in against me, for my part. Edward had no
debts to speak of; but then look at his allowance."
"He was the eldest son," she gently said.
"I know that. I am not wishing myself in Edward's place, or he out of it.
I heartily wish him health and a long life to wear his honours; it is no
fault of his that he should be rolling in riches, and I a martyr to
poverty. Still, one can't help feeling at odd moments, when the shoe's
pinching awfully, that the system is not altogether a just one."
"Was that a sincere wish, Val Elster?"
Val wheeled round on Lady Maude, from whom the question came. She had
stolen up to them unperceived, and stood there in her radiant beauty, her
magnificent dark eyes and her glowing cheeks set off by a little
coquettish black-velvet hat.
Pages:
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98