Conscience -- Volume 1

hat these expressions of interest were leading up to a proposal of marriage, and an exclamation

greeable it is not to

had not shown to Saniel, which proved that he had

clerk fro

id, on returning to his office.

from his portfolio an

el and the clerk counted the bills which they heard rustle in his hands. Presently he rose, and closing the door of the safe he placed

ut," Caffie said, who was alr

t be a

ne Caffie apologized

way to relieve you permanently from embarrassment, and that way you will find is i

e to marry now, when I have

ve just spoken with so much assur

same reasons that I have to hope and believe what I hope and believe, it is quite natural that they should feel doubts of

tate to contract several others successively, which, you must acknowledge, weakens the guarantee th

er thought

hould thi

be a woman f

opose one, what

ut

re sur

ess tha

er of one of my friends, while listening to you I thought that one or the other might be the woman you need. Both have fortunes, and both possess physical a

ographs. As he turned them over Saniel saw that they were all port

he had evidently put on for the purpose of being photographed. The other was a young girl of about twenty years, pretty

res Caffie studied him, trying to

erything, the good and the bad, so that my clients are responsible for the decisions they make. In reality, there is nothing bad about these two persons, because, if there were, I would not pr

d over his face, and he cla

er?" Sani

ow it; I know by myself that nothing is more anno

t not to

man older than himself, who will treat him as a husband and as a son. Her first husband was a careful merchant, who, had he lived, would have made a large fortune in the butcher business"-he mumbled this word instead of pronouncing it clearly-"but although he died just at the time when his affairs were beginning to develop, he left twenty thousand pounds' income to his

belie

l soon carry her off; and, as the contract will be made according to my wishes in view of s

ion of the situation that Caffie made with the most perfect good- nature. So gra

he flaw, for there is one. Who is blameless? The daughter of one of our leading actresses, after leaving the convent she returned to live with her mother. It was there, in this environment- ahem! ahem!-that an accident happened to her. To be brief, she has a sweet little child that the father would have recognized assuredly, had he not been already married. But at least he has provided for its future by an endowment of two hundred thousand francs, in such a way that whoever marries the mother and legitimizes the child will enjoy the interest of this sum until the child's m

ing is mo

t of this pain t

ed while hol

Saniel said, with the tone of a

To tell the truth, they

consulted

h seldom happens, I notice that they think much more of their own affairs than of what I am saying, an

haracteristic signs of rapid consumption. His clothes hung on him as if made for a man twice h

" he asked. "It may be possib

u thin

tion did no

often dry, is i

es

often t

way

u slee

N

ght trou

es

a good a

ore I eat the thinner I become.

scars from boils on t

hey came. Hang it, one is no longer young at seventy-two years;

prescribe, if you wish, you will soon be better. I will

ccasion to meet if, as I presume, you appreciate the

ve time to

reasonable. The

Jardine, I shall find myself in the street, wh

l not come to such a pass as t

in; Jardine has alr

we presume he will, proceed by a replevin, we shall have sufficie

xpired on th

ot pa

the only thing that i

moment. We can manage this way more easily. The important thing is