He
shall do so."
"And what about me?--what about me?"
"Well," said Random, speaking slowly with the intention of still
further irritating the little man, whose selfishness annoyed him,
"if I were you I should marry Mrs. Jasher and settle down quietly
in this house to live on what income you have."
Braddock turned purple again and spluttered.
"How dare you make a proposition like that to me, sir?" he
bellowed. "You ask me to marry this low woman, this adventuress,
this--this--this--" Words failed him.
Of course Random had no intention of advising such a marriage,
although he did not think so badly of Mrs. Jasher as did the
Professor. But the little man was so venomous that the young man
took a delight in stirring him up, using the widow's name as a
red rag to this particular bull.
"I do not think Mrs. Jasher is a bad woman," he remarked.
"What! what! what! After what she has done? Blackmail!
blackmail! blackmail!"
"That is bad, I admit, but she has failed to get what she wanted,
and, after all, you indirectly are the cause of her writing that
blackmailing letter."
"I am?--I am? How dare you?"
"You see, she wanted to get five thousand out of me as her
dowry."
"Yes, and told me lies about her damned brother who was a Pekin
merchant, when after all he never existed.
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