Part 4 (1/2)
”Go down the West End--the park--anywhere! I'll let you know when to stop.” He sat down again beside Faith. ”Well, do you think you'd like to be my wife?” he asked.
Faith shrank away from him, her face flus.h.i.+ng.
”I don't know anything about you. You don't know anything about me,” she stammered. He smiled.
”That can soon be remedied. My name is Nicholas Forrester, my _real_ name, that is! I've been known by lots of others in my lifetime, but that's neither here nor there. I've got more money than I know what to do with. I'm like the poor devil in 'Brewster's Millions'--everything I touch turns to gold. Have you read 'Brewster's Millions'?”
”No.”
”I'll tell you the story some day. There isn't time now. But if you marry me you can buy any mortal thing you like, except the moon or Buckingham Palace. Doesn't that attract you?” he asked dryly.
The colour surged back into Faith's pale face. She leaned a little towards him.
”_Anything!_” she asked.
The man looked faintly disappointed.
”I thought you were going to be different from other women,” he said curtly. ”Well, what is it you want, diamonds?”
”Diamonds!” She echoed the word blankly. ”Oh, no, I was wondering if I could take mother away from Poplar, and send the twins to a nice school.
They have to go to the Board School now,” she explained. ”If I can do that for them, I shan't want anything for myself.” She raised apologetic eyes. ”It's asking an awful lot, I know,” she added.
The Beggar Man laid his hand for a moment on hers. Such a strong, kind hand it was, that instinctively the fear of him that had been in Faith's heart died away.
”It's not asking anything,” he said. ”We'll send the twins to the finest school in England if you like, and your mother can have a house in the country and anything else she wants--if you'll marry me!”
Faith's cheeks were crimson; her eyes on fire. It never occurred to her for a moment to refuse.
She looked up at him with brown eyes of grat.i.tude unutterable. ”I should just _love_ to marry you,” she said fervently.
The Beggar Man said ”Humph!” For a moment there was a silence, during which he looked at her doubtfully; then:
”What about your mother?” he asked abruptly. ”What do you think she will say?”
Faith's face fell a little; in her eagerness and excitement she had forgotten what her mother would say.
”I--I'm afraid she won't quite like it,” she said slowly.
She was sure that her mother would not like it. Mrs. Ledley had always been so careful about Faith's choice of friends that the girl knew what an astonis.h.i.+ng proposal she would consider this offer of marriage to be.
Mrs. Ledley could be very firm when she chose, and Faith knew well what opposition she would have to encounter.
A sudden idea flashed across her mind.
”But we need not tell her, need we?”
A faint smile crossed his face.
”You mean till we are married?”