by sordid necessity. I answered her with immense restraint.
"If," I said, "we could have a double-fronted, detached house—at Ealing, say—with a square patch of lawn in front and a garden behind—and—and a tiled bath-room."
"That would be sixty pounds a year at least."
"Which means five hundred a year. . . . Yes, well, you see I told my uncle I wanted that, and I've got it."
"Got what?"
"Five hundred pounds a year."
"Five hundred pounds!"
I burst into laughter that had more than a taste of bitterness.
"Yes," I said, "really! and now what do you think?"
"Yes," she said, a little flushed; "but be sensible! Do you really mean you've got a Rise, all at once, of two hundred a year?"
"To marry on—yes."
She scrutinized me a moment. "You've done this as a surprise!" she said, and laughed at my laughter. She had become radiant, and that made me radiant too.
"Yes," I said, "yes," and laughed no longer bitterly. She clasped her hands and looked me in the eyes.
She was so pleased that I forgot absolutely my disgust of a moment before. I forgot that she had raised her price two hundred pounds a year and that I had bought her at that.
"Come!" I said, standing up; "let's go towards the sunset, dear, and talk about it all. Do you know—this is a most beautiful world, an amazingly beautiful world, and when the sunset falls upon you it makes you into shining gold. No, not gold—into golden
