Penniman, shaking her
finger at him. "He pretends that you like--you like the money."
Morris hesitated a moment; and then, as if he spoke advisedly--"I DO
like the money!"
"Ah, but not--but not as he means it. You don't like it more than
Catherine?"
He leaned his elbows on the table and buried his head in his hands.
"You torture me!" he murmured. And, indeed, this was almost the
effect of the poor lady's too importunate interest in his situation.
But she insisted on making her point. "If you marry her in spite of
him, he will take for granted that you expect nothing of him, and are
prepared to do without it. And so he will see that you are
disinterested."
Morris raised his head a little, following this argument, "And what
shall I gain by that?"
"Why, that he will see that he has been wrong in thinking that you
wished to get his money."
"And seeing that I wish he would go to the deuce with it, he will
leave it to a hospital. Is that what you mean?" asked Morris.
"No, I don't mean that; though that would be very grand!" Mrs.
Penniman quickly added. "I mean that having done you such an
injustice, he will think it his duty, at the end, to make some
amends."
Morris shook his head, though it must be confessed he was a little
struck with this idea. "Do you think he is so sentimental?"
"He is not sentimental," said Mrs. Penniman; "but, to be perfectly
fair to him, I think he has, in his own narrow way, a certain sense
of duty.
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