She
would have become my wife long ago but that you crossed her
path. Lord knows why she should love a commonplace man like
you, but she does."
"Isn't that rather personal?" said Mallow dryly.
"I beg your pardon. But what I wish to say is this. If you
marry Miss Saxon and place yourself beyond Maraquito's reach,
I will be able to induce her to marry me. Our interests are
bound up together. Now, to do this you must have Mrs.
Octagon's consent. I can get it."
"In what way?"
"She loves Basil, her son, more than she does herself," went
on Hale, paying no attention to the remark. "To save him she
would do much."
"To save him from what?"
"Basil;" continued the lawyer, still not noticing the
interruption, "is a young fool. He thought himself sure of
Miss Loach's money--and he was until a week before she died.
Then he came to Rose Cottage and insulted her--"
"I have heard that. She ordered him out of the house."
"She did. Miss Loach was a bitter, acrid old woman when the
fit took her. However, Basil insulted her so grossly that she
made a new will and left all the money to Miss Saxon. Now it
happens that Basil, to supply himself with funds, when his
aunt refused to aid his extravagance further, forged her name
to a bill--What's the matter?"
"Nothing," said Mallow, who had started from his chair, "only
your intelligence is sufficiently unpleasant."
"I can understand that," sneered the lawyer, "since you wish
to marry his sister.
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