Tom Gallon

“ RANKIN was probably the most envied man who sat at dinner that summer night at the Warringtons'. Millionaires were scarce in that company, and here was a man who, at about thirty-five years of age, was already in that fortunate position. Good-looking, if a trifle heavy as to his build, with perfect health, and with the air of a man who had already grasped the world by its throat and shaken out of it what he wanted for himself. ”

“ Other men seemed to find cheerful places in which to live, cosy dens where one felt at home at once. But the furniture even of this place was not of Rankin's choosing; he had taken it as it stood from the last tenant. There was a great desk at one side of the room, and an easy-chair that belied its name set against it. Against one wall was a great ugly cupboard, in which sometimes Rankin hung a coat, or into which he pitched something he did not want at the moment, in true bachelor fashion. ”

“ Catch hold of it."
"Take it away!" she exclaimed, with a shudder. "You brute!"
"Well, upon my word, there's no satisfying some people at all," said Rankin, with a laugh. "Are you quite sure that you won't change your mind and take it? You could kill me with that, always supposing, of course, that you contrived to hit me!"
"Will you take the horrible thing away?" exclaimed Lady Marion, crouching away from him against the wall.
Rankin tossed the revolver on to the desk and laughed. ”

“ It is certainly annoying, when you have had a desperate row with a man, that that man should enter a room in which you are, and should remain in it by right. Rankin had had a desperate row with young Dallas Holly only that morning, and the row had culminated in Rankin bundling the younger man out of his flat, and telling him that he was not to come back again, which is a pretty conclusive way of dealing with your secretary, especially if you pay him, as Rankin had done, all that is due to him in the way of salary and a little over. ”

“ I'm not doubting for moment, Lady Marion, that he's a fine fellow, and all that you judge him to be, and I'd like to give him his chance. It's you who have been put to the test to-night—a bitter test for any woman. ”

“ And then, as he once again turned away, he revolved on his pivot and spoke hesitatingly; "At least, sir, someone did call—a lady, sir. I'd quite forgotten."
Rankin paused, with his hand on the door of the room he used as an office and general sitting-room. He looked frowningly at the servant. "A lady? What lady?"
"A young lady, sir, of the name of Jones. A Miss Jones, sir. I could make nothing of her, sir, and she"—the man waved his arm in a wooden fashion and slowly shook his head—"she went away."
"Jones?" muttered Rankin to himself. ”

“ Lady Marion Coverdale-Sinclair, with a long line of Coverdale-Sinclairs stretching away behind her into goodness knows how many generations, long before the time when Brian Rankin's ancestors had been penniless small farmers in Ireland, struggling for the living they never seemed to get. ”

“ And then, gripping the book in her hand, she looked at him incredulously. "But what are you doing?" she asked.
"Lady Marion, I don't make war on women," he said, with something of the grand manner that perhaps no one else had ever seen in him. "Take the book to your Dallas, by all means; the incident is closed. Shall my man get a taxi for you—or I would do it myself?" ”

“ Rankin thought to himself, looking at the proud young head steadily, the while he listened to the chatter of the woman on his left. "Money doesn't mean anything to you, and I'm only a common fellow who has made his pile, and, according to your ideas, doesn't think anything save in a language represented by coins. ”

“ And he was in love hopelessly, too, which, in a cynical world, seeing that he was a millionaire, seems rather absurd.
There she was, just across the table, looking at him now languidly out of the grey eyes that had originally bewitched him. ”

“ Dallas Holly——"
"My dear Lady Marion, I have never in all my life had a false impression concerning any man," broke in Rankin quickly. "I reckoned up Mr. Dallas Holly about ten minutes after he had first entered my employment. I was a rough and tough sort of fellow, and it seemed to me that I wanted a gentleman to teach me the ropes a bit. ”

“ Oh, yes, I live quite alone, except for a man-servant. No, not a fashionable quarter, by any means, but it suits me, and the rooms are big. As a matter of fact, I'm afraid I do stay rather late at the club, sometimes till two or three o'clock in the morning. One finds company there. ”