The Dugdale Millions — page 176: what you’re looking at

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

166 THE DUGDALE MILLIONS. “Vou’re trifling with me,” said Wallis severely. ‘ Well, I know Dick Mason has told you that he loves you deeply and desperately, and when a man does that the other follows as a matter of course. If this Harold Pierson turns out to be young Dugdale, I sup- pose things will go more smoothly. Your father would never have consented if all that money had been coming to you.” “Why not?” ‘Because he would have had higher ambitions for ou.” “Tf all that money were mine, I would have been in a position to have chosen my own husband with- out anybody’s consent. So you know it would have been better the other way.” Bessie did not appreciate that in this remark she had in fact admitted all Wallis had been endeavor- ing to elicit. “ But the difficulty would have been that Mr. Mason would not have been a suitor then,” argued Wallis. “ Do you think so?” asked Bessie, much troubled. “He would have thought you had gone beyond his reach.” : ‘‘Well then, perhaps it is better as it 1s,” said Bessie softly. The two were silent for some moments, when Bessie said : “ Lord Merrimount will not be away long.” “I’m glad. He’s very nice.” “That is what he says of you.” “Present my thanks to Lord Merrimount and tell him I prefer his other opinion of me—that I am an amusing baggage.” “To you resent that?” “Not atall. I am overpowered with the knowledge that so high and mighty a personage could have any Opinion at all of me.” “Wallis, everybody jumped to the conclusion that Lord Merrimount wanted to marry me,” Comicbookks C@ 3}