The Dugdale Millions — page 104: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

94 THE DUGDALE MILLIONS. that when the time came, in the young nobleman’s judgment and pleasure, he had but to cast his hand- kerchief upon Bessie and carry her off, involved con- tradictions which Dick could not understand. He listened tc Merrimount and reasoned. He saw that the Englishman was a sincere, open, and frank young fellow, and finally concluded that the assump- tion arose from an appreciation of his own rank, which was so recognized at home that he was unconscious of a possibility of failure in any alliance which he might propose. As it was, the day’s association ended so far as Dick was concerned in a very much increased respect for the man inthe nobleman. What he found to criti- cise in Merrimount was the result of training and edu- cation, rather than inherent qualities. He concluded that Englishmen were given to regard the marriage relation rather as a matter of convenience than as an affair of the heart—as a partnership to be entered into with a due regard to the advantages to accrue to both the contracting parties. It was only upon this ground that he could reconcile the fact that he talked of his mission to America without a single allusion to Bessie, and of Wallis, whose brightness and wit seemed to have greatly taken his fancy, mm terms approaching admiration. ‘*Well,’’ said Dick aloud to himself, after he had parted from the young nobleman on their return, °'! can't make out just the particular kind of a beast he is. All I do know is that he is a good fellow—a first-rate good fellow—but ail the same, 1 don’t want him to walk off with Bessie, and he won’t if I can help it.”’ While Dick and Merrimount were returning from West Point in the afternoon, Ransom, Bob, and Den- nis Moore were in close consultation at Moore’s rooms in Third Avenue. Moore’s story of the result of his inquiries at New- CoOMmicboOoks.€©