The Real Charlotte. 193 



up and turned her face away to hide the angry tears that in 

 spite of herself had sprung to her eyes. 



Hawkins caught her hand again and held it tightly. " I 

 know what it is. I suppose they've been teUing you of that 

 time I was in Limerick ; and that was all rot from beginning 

 to end ; anyone could tell you that." 



" It's not that ; I heard all about that — " 



Hawkins jumped up. " I don't care what you heard," he 

 said violently. '' Don't turn your head away from me like 

 that^ I won't have it. I know that you care about me, and 

 I know that I shouldn't care if everyone in the world was 

 dead, so long as you were here." His arm was round her, 

 but she shook herself free. 



" What about Miss Coppard ? " she said ; " what about 

 being married before Christmas ? " 



For a moment Hawkins could find no words to say. 

 " So you've got hold of that, have you ? " he said, after some 

 seconds of silence that seemed endless to Francie. " And 

 do you think that will come between us ? " 



" Of course it must come between us," she said in a stifled 

 voice ; " and you knew that all through." 



Mr. Hawkins' engagement was a painful necessity about 

 which he affaired himself as little as possible. He recog- 

 nised it as a certain and not disagreeable road to paying his 

 debts, which might with good luck be prolonged till he got 

 his company, and, latterly, it had fallen more than ever into 

 the background. That it should interfere with his amuse- 

 ments in any way made it an impertinence of a wholly 

 intolerable kind. 



" It shall not come between us ! " he burst out ; " I don't 

 care what happens, I won't give you up ! I give you my 

 honour I never cared twopence about her — I've never 

 thought of her since I first saw you — I've thought of no 

 one but you." 



His hot, stammering words were like music to her , but 

 that staunchness of soul that was her redeeming quality still 

 urged her to opposition. 



" It's no good your going on like this. You know you're 

 going to marry her. Let me go." 



But Mr. Hawkins was not in the habit of being baulked 

 of anything on which he had set his heart. 



N 



