Jasher does
not come to dinner, you will have to go away."
"Why should I?" he inquired sulkily.
"People will talk."
"Let them. I don't care."
"Neither do I, you stupid boy. But my father will care, and if
people talk he will be very angry."
"My dear Lucy," and Archie put his arm round her waist to say
this, "I don't see why you should be afraid of the Professor.
He is only your step-father, and you aren't so very fond of him
as to mind what he says. Besides, we can marry soon, and then he
can go hang."
"But I don't want him to go hang," she replied, laughing. "After
all, the Professor has always been kind to me, and as a
step-father has behaved very well, when he could easily have made
himself disagreeable. Another thing is that he can be very bad
tempered when he likes, and if I let people talk about us--which
they will do if they get a chance--he will behave so coldly to
me, that I shall have a disagreeable time. As we can't marry for
ever so long, I don't want to be uncomfortable."
"We can marry whenever you like," said Hope unexpectedly.
"What, with your income so unsettled?"
"It is not unsettled."
"Yes, it is. You will help that horrid spendthrift uncle of
yours, and until he and his family are solvent I don't see how we
can be sure of our money.
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