another side, and let me tell you, when you are classifying her, a neighbour of ours in South Shields has just won her case . . . and she a delicate little thing, and against another such as yourself, and, what is more she has skinned him.'The spitting out of the word demanded a silence the while the three men looked at her; then still concentrating on Lionel, she said, 'I have a proposition to put to you. But first of all I will say this. I have never imagined you earning a penny, not even to support yourself, never mind a wife, and I saw Victoria being brought to this house to live in genteel, and not so genteel poverty under the patronage of your father. But I raised no real objections because I knew she would be only too happy to do this. And only God knows why.''Woman! you've , . .''Be quiet!' This came from Douglas.
He was looking hard at his brother now and he
140said, 'She said she had a proposition to make to you. Hear her out.'Bridget turned her gaze from Douglas and onto Lionel again, and straightaway she said, 'From the date of your marriage I shall allow you two thousand pounds a year. Half of that would be sufficient to keep you and her in a smaller establishment; but she seems to like the idea of coming here to live, so the extra money should help towards the running of this place.'She glanced towards William Filmore, who had pulled himself from the back of the couch and was staring at her, his mouth slightly agape. 'But there will be certain conditions attached to this. They will be written out and I shall expect you at my solicitor's at three o'clock on Monday afternoon to sign that you agree with them.'Two thousand pounds a year. It was as much as he had promised himself out of the income from the factories, et cetera. It was what he had worked out would carry him through until he could sell off the blacking and the candle-wax places. He looked at his father, who was saying, 'That's a very generous offer, Miss Bridget,' and the old man 141nodded towards her before adding, 'I only hope the conditions attached to the offer won't be too difficult to follow.' He glanced now at his son; but Bridget continued to look at the old man as she said,
'Well, it will be up to him. The offer definitely depends upon the conditions. And the first is that your son finds employment of some kind within the first six months of his marriage. If he doesn't, then the amount will drop by specified hundreds. Should he not have found any kind of employment within a year then the amount will be halved to what I originally thought would be a sufficient sum to provide him to keep a wife in moderate circumstances.''God in heaven! Blast you! I'll . . .' Words choked themselves in Lionel's throat as his father, pulling himself round on the couch, barked at him, 'Shut up! And she's right. My God! It pains me to say this, but she's right.' Then the old man, looking at Bridget again, demanded, 'Are there any more?''Yes, one other: that he remain faithful to her. If it can be proved otherwise-' She now turned a sidelong glance on the furious
142countenance of the man and added quietly, 'In that case I withdraw the whole amount and persuade Victoria to return home/Lionel was now supporting himself by gripping the back of the couch. His body was partly bent over it; there was no sound at all coming from him as he listened to her saying, 'There it is. If you agree to the conditions you will be at my solicitor's at three o'clock, as I said, on Monday. It's Andrew Kemp & Sons, Grey Street.' And she turned abruptly now to his father and said to him: 'Good day to you, sir.' And as she walked across the room Douglas rose quickly from the chair and followed her.After opening the door for her, he walked by her side, down the corridors, across the hall which was now once more a hall with the partition in place, and out on to the gravel drive and to the post where her horse was tethered. And, not until she had put her hands on its bridle did he speak,
He was looking hard at his brother now and he
140said, 'She said she had a proposition to make to you. Hear her out.'Bridget turned her gaze from Douglas and onto Lionel again, and straightaway she said, 'From the date of your marriage I shall allow you two thousand pounds a year. Half of that would be sufficient to keep you and her in a smaller establishment; but she seems to like the idea of coming here to live, so the extra money should help towards the running of this place.'She glanced towards William Filmore, who had pulled himself from the back of the couch and was staring at her, his mouth slightly agape. 'But there will be certain conditions attached to this. They will be written out and I shall expect you at my solicitor's at three o'clock on Monday afternoon to sign that you agree with them.'Two thousand pounds a year. It was as much as he had promised himself out of the income from the factories, et cetera. It was what he had worked out would carry him through until he could sell off the blacking and the candle-wax places. He looked at his father, who was saying, 'That's a very generous offer, Miss Bridget,' and the old man 141nodded towards her before adding, 'I only hope the conditions attached to the offer won't be too difficult to follow.' He glanced now at his son; but Bridget continued to look at the old man as she said,
'Well, it will be up to him. The offer definitely depends upon the conditions. And the first is that your son finds employment of some kind within the first six months of his marriage. If he doesn't, then the amount will drop by specified hundreds. Should he not have found any kind of employment within a year then the amount will be halved to what I originally thought would be a sufficient sum to provide him to keep a wife in moderate circumstances.''God in heaven! Blast you! I'll . . .' Words choked themselves in Lionel's throat as his father, pulling himself round on the couch, barked at him, 'Shut up! And she's right. My God! It pains me to say this, but she's right.' Then the old man, looking at Bridget again, demanded, 'Are there any more?''Yes, one other: that he remain faithful to her. If it can be proved otherwise-' She now turned a sidelong glance on the furious
142countenance of the man and added quietly, 'In that case I withdraw the whole amount and persuade Victoria to return home/Lionel was now supporting himself by gripping the back of the couch. His body was partly bent over it; there was no sound at all coming from him as he listened to her saying, 'There it is. If you agree to the conditions you will be at my solicitor's at three o'clock, as I said, on Monday. It's Andrew Kemp & Sons, Grey Street.' And she turned abruptly now to his father and said to him: 'Good day to you, sir.' And as she walked across the room Douglas rose quickly from the chair and followed her.After opening the door for her, he walked by her side, down the corridors, across the hall which was now once more a hall with the partition in place, and out on to the gravel drive and to the post where her horse was tethered. And, not until she had put her hands on its bridle did he speak,
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