“You forward girl,” said Fairfax. “You wicked——”
“And you,” continued Athalia, “not having had any say in the matter,
would go up the steep and narrow path to heroism—touching the ground in
spots. I should see to that,” she added darkly.
Fairfax wiped his brow.
“Oh, the vixen,” he said. “Listen at her.”
“As it is,” said his companion, “though my feet are of clay—‘earthy,’ I
think, was your expression—the man who marries me must think them of
fine gold.”
Fairfax looked down his nose.
“There are plenty of coves,” he said, “who’ll tell you the tale.
Besides, when I said you were earthy, I only meant ‘human.’ Hang it,
Athalia, if I told you your little feet were golden, you’ld tell me to
go straight home and sleep it off.”
“Also,” continued Miss Choate, “he must prefer my smile to any comfort
that he has ever dreamed of.”
“But I do,” protested her swain. “Infinitely. They’re not in the same
street.”
“Rot,” said Athalia. “You love your comfort best every time. My smile
doesn’t come off with my pearls. If I was poor, my smile’ld still be
there. But you wouldn’t want it then.”
“Of course I should. And if I was rich, I’ld have it. It’s not your
money I want, but it _is_ your money we need. I’ve been honest about it.
‘Live and let live,’ you know.”
“Have you anything,” said Athalia, “but what you earn?”
“Not a bean,” was the cheerful reply. “I had sixty thousand, you know.
But I’ve been through the lot.”
“Good,” said my lady. “Look here. Jobs tend to cramp the style——”
“They’re a weariness of the flesh,” sighed Punch.
“—and my husband’s style must not be cramped. If you’ll give up your
job, I’ll—I’ll marry you.”
Punch Fairfax sat up, open-mouthed.
“What an’ keep me?”
“I’ll settle two thousand a year on you. That’s twice what you earn.”
There was an electric silence.
Then Punch rose with a laugh.
“‘Clean, honest and sober,’” he said quietly. “I see that I should have
added ‘respectable’: but, to tell you the truth, I——”
“Sit down, Punch, me lad,” said Athalia Choate. “Dismount and sit down.
You’ve given the answer I wanted. Not that I really doubted, but—one
likes to make sure.”