‘My affairs——­’ General Ople was beginning, with perturbed forehead; but Lady Camper held up her finger.

’We will touch on your affairs incidentally.  Now listen to me, and do not exclaim until I have finished.  You know that these two young ones have been whispering over the wall for some months.  They have been meeting on the river and in the park habitually, apparently with your consent.’

‘My lady!’

‘I did not say with your connivance.’

‘You mean my daughter Elizabeth?’

’And my nephew Reginald.  We have named them, if that advances us.  Now, the end of such meetings is marriage, and the sooner the better, if they are to continue.  I would rather they should not; I do not hold it good for young soldiers to marry.  But if they do, it is very certain that their pay will not support a family; and in a marriage of two healthy young people, we have to assume the existence of the family.  You have allowed matters to go so far that the boy is hot in love; I suppose the girl is, too.  She is a nice girl.  I do not object to her personally.  But I insist that a settlement be made on her before I give my nephew one penny.  Hear me out, for I am not fond of business, and shall be glad to have done with these explanations.  Reginald has nothing of his own.  He is my sister’s son, and I loved her, and rather like the boy.  He has at present four hundred a year from me.  I will double it, on the condition that you at once make over ten thousand—­not less; and let it be yes or no!—­to be settled on your daughter and go to her children, independent of the husband—­cela va sans dire.  Now you may speak, General.’

The General spoke, with breath fetched from the deeps: 

’Ten thousand pounds!  Hem!  Ten!  Hem, frankly—­ten, my lady!  One’s income—­I am quite taken by surprise.  I say Elizabeth’s conduct—­though, poor child! it is natural to her to seek a mate, I mean, to accept a mate and an establishment, and Reginald is a very hopeful fellow—­I was saying, they jump on me out of an ambush, and I wish them every happiness.  And she is an ardent soldier, and a soldier she must marry.  But ten thousand!’

‘It is to secure the happiness of your daughter, General.’

‘Pounds! my lady.  It would rather cripple me.’

’You would have my house, General; you would have the moiety, as the lawyers say, of my purse; you would have horses, carriages, servants; I do not divine what more you would wish to have.’

’But, madam—­a pensioner on the Government!  I can look back on past services, I say old services, and I accept my position.  But, madam, a pensioner on my wife, bringing next to nothing to the common estate!  I fear my self-respect would, I say would . . .’

‘Well, and what would it do, General Ople?’

’I was saying, my self-respect as my wife’s pensioner, my lady.  I could not come to her empty-handed.’