"But you should have some one look after your property, invest it for
you--a woman can't do that very well."
"The bank does it, don't it?"
"I mean after you are of age and have control of your own property."
"Oh," the girl murmured vaguely, running her hand through the ripples of
river water. "That's a good ways off!... I suppose I shall be married by
that time, and _he_ will look after it for me."
She said this in a thoroughly matter-of-fact voice, but the banker
almost jumped from his seat at the words.
"You aren't thinking of getting married yet!" he exclaimed hastily.
"I suppose I shall some day," she replied.
"Of course you'll marry sometime," he said with relief; and ran on
glibly,--"That is the natural thing. Every girl should get married
early. But you must take good care, my dear girl, not to make a mistake.
You might be very unhappy, you know. He might not treat you right." And
with a sense of climax he exclaimed,--"He might lose all your
money--ruin you!"
"Yes, he might," Adelle agreed with composure. "They do that sometimes."
She looked at him from her open gray eyes undisturbed by the prospect,
as if, womanlike, she was aware of this unpleasant fate in danger of
which she must always be. Mr. Ashly Crane knew that this was the point
when his love-making should begin, but suddenly he felt that Adelle
Clark was a very difficult person to make love to.
"Perhaps you've been thinking of the man?" he opened clumsily.
She shook her head thoughtfully.
"No, I haven't."
"But you could love some one?"
"I suppose so," she answered in such a matter-of-fact tone that for the
moment he was baffled. The present situation, he decided, was
unfavorable for love-making, and searched desperately within for his
next words.
"I wonder what they look like," Adelle mused aloud.
"Who look like--husbands?"
"No, Edward's children--the other heirs," she explained.
"Perhaps there aren't any," he snapped.
And under his breath Mr. Ashly Crane consigned Edward S. Clark and all
his offspring to perdition.