Richard was back at his desk; he smiled and rose as she came in.  There was another man in the library, who rose and faced her, too.

And when Harriet saw him she knew that she was too late.  It was Royal Blondin.

A dizziness and sickness came over her as she went slowly to the chair opposite Richard.  She touched the desk for support as she sat down, and felt that her fingers were cold and wet.

“Mr. Blondin has come to talk to me about Nina,” Richard said.  Harriet somehow moved her dizzy eyes toward Blondin, and she smiled mechanically.  But she had to moisten her lips before she could speak.

“I see!” Her voice sounded horribly choked to her; she could find nothing to add to the meaningless words.

“Mr. Blondin asks my consent to an immediate marriage,” Richard said.  “You know my objections to that, Harriet, of course!  We have just been discussing them, as I explained to him.  This is a painful matter to me, and I regret it.  But Mr. Blondin has given me no choice but to tell him frankly why I think him an unsuitable husband for my daughter.  I have told him exactly what my procedure will be in such a case, and I think we understand each other!”

Royal was smiling the serene, dreamy smile that was characteristic of him.

“Nina,” he said, tenderly, “is warm hearted.  And a chance allusion to my financial position, which I thought I owed her, has distressed her unnecessarily.  It will, truly, be out of the question for me to travel, as we had planned.  The unfortunate speculations of my friend—­”

“Whose name you withhold,” Richard interrupted the musical voice to say, drily.

“Because of a promise!” Royal flashed promptly.  “But,” he resumed, turning to Harriet, “I shall be able to negotiate this business, as I assure Mr. Carter, without any assistance from him or his daughter,” his lip curled scornfully, “and I do not propose to give her up for any three years—­or three weeks!”

Harriet could only look at him fixedly, with an ashen face.

“God help me,” she breathed in her soul.  “God help me!”

“Well,” said Richard, with weary impatience, “we did not call you down to bore you with this!  I asked to see you, Harriet, because Mr. Blondin has made the statement to me, just now, that you were heartily in accord with his plans for Nina, and that you approved of the affair!”

The prayer in Harriet’s heart did not stop as she moved her wretched eyes to Blondin.

“I believed that you and she had not seen each other since December,” she reminded him.  “I lost no chance to advise her against the engagement!  I thought it was all over!”

“Well!” Richard said, with a breath of relief.  He had been watching her closely, now he settled back in his chair, and moved his contemptuous scrutiny to Blondin.

“One moment!” Royal Blondin said, gently.  But he was also pale.  “You believe that I would make Nina a good husband, don’t you?” he asked Harriet directly and quietly.