"My dear," she said, in great agitation, "this is really too dreadful. This--er--guardian of yours appears to think he is in some barbarous country--ordering the savages about. Come! Malcolm, take her away.""No," Captain Elisha stepped in front of the door. "She ain't goin'; and I'd rather you wouldn't go yet. Let's settle this up now. I ain't askin' anything unreasonable. Caroline's under my charge, and I've got to plan for her. Your boy's just crazy to marry her; he's been beggin' for her to name the day. Let's name it. It needn't be to-morrow. I cal'late you'll want to get out invitations and such. It needn't be next week. But just say about when it can be; then I'll know how to plan. That ain't much to ask, sartin."Much or little, neither Mrs. Dunn nor her son appeared ready to answer. Malcolm fidgeted with his hat and gloves; his mother fanned herself with her handkerchief. Caroline, frantic with humiliation and shame, would have protested again, but her guardian's stern shake of the head silenced her.
"Well, Mr. Dunn," turning to the groom-to-be; "you're one of the interested parties--what do you say?"Malcolm ground his heel into the rug. "I don't consider it your business," he declared. "You're butting in where--""No, no, I ain't. It's my business, and business is just WHAT it is. Your ma knows that. She and I had a real confidential up and down talk on love and marriage, and she's the one that proved to me that marryin' in high society, like yours and the kind Caroline's been circulatin' in, was business and mighty little else. There's a business contract between you and my niece. We want to know how soon it can be carried out, that's all."The young man looked desperately at the door; but the captain's broad shoulders blocked the way towards it. He hesitated, scowled, and then, with a shrug of his shoulders, surrendered.
"How can I marry?" he demanded sullenly. "Confound it! my salary isn't large enough to pay my own way, decently.""Malcolm!" cried his mother, warningly.
"Well, Mater, what the devil's the use of all this? You know . . .
By Jove! you OUGHT to!"
"Hold on, young feller! I don't understand. Your wages ain't large enough, you say? What do you mean? You was GOIN' to be married, wasn't you?"Mrs. Dunn plunged to the rescue, a forlorn hope, but desperate, and fighting to the end.
"An outrage!" she blurted. "Malcolm, I forbid you to continue this disgusting conversation. Caroline, my poor child, I don't blame you for this, but I call on you to stop it at once. My dear, I--"She advanced toward the girl with outstretched arms. Caroline recoiled.
"Don't! don't!" she gasped. Captain Elisha spoke up sharp and stern.
"Excuse me, ma'am," he said, "but I'll be obliged if you'll wait a minute. Caroline, don't you say a word. You say--you--"addressing Malcolm, "that you can't support a wife on your wages.
You surprise me some, considerin' the swath you've been cuttin' on 'em--but never mind that. Maybe they won't keep automobiles and--er--other things I've heard you was interested in, but if you cut them out and economize a little, same as young married folks I've known have been glad to do, you could scrape along, couldn't you?
Hey? Couldn't you?"
Malcolm's answer was another scornful shrug. "You belong on Cape Cod," he sneered. "Mater, let's get out of this.""Wait! Put it plain now. Do I understand that you cal'late to break the engagement because my niece has lost her money? Is that it?"Mrs. Dunn realized that the inevitable was upon them. After all, it might as well be faced now as later.
"This is ridiculous," she proclaimed. "Every sane person knows--though BARBARIANS may not--" with a venomous glare at the captain--"that, in engagements of the kind in which my son shared, a certain amount of--er--financial--er--that is, the bride is supposed to have some money. It is expected. Of course it is! Love in a cottage is--well--a bit passe. My son and I pity your niece from the bottom of our hearts, but--there! under the circumstances the whole affair becomes impossible. Caroline, my dear, I'm dreadfully sorry, dreadfully! I love you like my own child. And poor Malcolm will be heartbroken--but--you SEE."She extended her hand in a gesture of utter helplessness. Stephen, who had been fuming and repressing his rage with difficulty during the scene, leaped forward with brandished fist.
"By gad!" he shouted. "Mal Dunn, you cad--"
His uncle pushed him back with a sweep of his arm.
"Steve," he ordered, "I'm runnin' this ship." He gave a quick glance at his niece, and then added, speaking rapidly and addressing the head of the Dunn family, "I see, ma'am. Yes, yes, I see. Well, you've forgot one thing, I guess. Caroline's lived in high society, too. And I've been in it a spell, myself. And Steve's a boy, but he's got a business head. If there's nothin' in marriage but business, then an engagement is what I just called it, a business contract, and it can't be broke without the consent of both sides.
You wanted Caroline's money; maybe she wants yours now. If she does, and there's such a thing as law, why, perhaps she can get it.""That's the talk!" cried Stephen exultingly.
"Yup; perhaps she can. She may be a business woman, too, you know.
If money and style and social position's what counts and she wants to force you to keep your promise, why, I'm her guardian and she can count on me to back her up. What do you say, Caroline? I'm at your service. I--"But Caroline interrupted him.
"Stop!" she cried wildly. "Oh, stop! Do you think--do you suppose I would marry him now? NOW, after I've seen what he is? Oh," with a shudder of disgust, "when I think what I might have done, I . . .
Thank God that the money has gone! I'm glad I'm poor! I'm GLAD!""Caro, you fool!" shrieked Stephen. She did not heed him.
"Let me go!" she cried. "Let me get away from him; from this room!