"How dare you presume to judge my actions or to criticise my methods?" he burst out; finally.
"You force me to do so," answered Jefferson hotly. "I want to tell you that I am heartily ashamed of this whole affair and your connection with it, and since you refuse to make reparation in the only way possible for the wrong you and your a.s.sociates have done Judge Rossmore--that is by saving him in the Senate--I think it only fair to warn you that I take back my word in regard to not marrying without your consent. I want you to know that I intend to marry Miss Rossmore as soon as she will consent to become my wife, that is," he added with bitterness, "if I can succeed in overcoming her prejudices against my family--"
Ryder, Sr. laughed contemptuously.
"Prejudices against a thousand million dollars?" he exclaimed sceptically.
"Yes," replied Jefferson decisively, "prejudices against our family, against you and your business practices. Money is not everything. One day you will find that out. I tell you definitely that I intend to make Miss Rossmore my wife."
Ryder, Sr. made no reply, and as Jefferson had expected an explosion, this unnatural calm rather startled him. He was sorry he had spoken so harshly. It was his father, after all.
"You"ve forced me to defy you, father," he added. "I"m sorry--"
Ryder, Sr. shrugged his shoulders and resumed his seat. He lit another cigar, and with affected carelessness he said:
"All right, Jeff, my boy, we"ll let it go at that You"re sorry--so am I. You"ve shown me your cards--I"ll show you mine."
His composed unruffled manner vanished. He suddenly threw off the mask and revealed the tempest that was raging within. He leaned across the desk, his face convulsed with uncontrollable pa.s.sion, a terrifying picture of human wrath. Shaking his fist at his son he shouted:
"When I get through with Judge Rossmore at Washington, I"ll start after his daughter. This time to-morrow he"ll be a disgraced man.
A week later she will be a notorious woman. Then we"ll see if you"ll be so eager to marry her!"
"Father!" cried Jefferson.
"There is sure to be something in her life that won"t bear inspection," sneered Ryder. "There is in everybody"s life. I"ll find out what it is. Where is she to-day? She can"t be found. No one knows where she is--not even her own mother. Something is wrong--the girl"s no good!"
Jefferson started forward as if to resent these insults to the woman he loved, but, realizing that it was his own father, he stopped short and his hands fell powerless at his side.
"Well, is that all?" inquired Ryder, Sr. with a sneer.
"That"s all," replied Jefferson, "I"m going. Good-bye."
"Good-bye," answered his father indifferently; "leave your address with your mother."
Jefferson left the room, and Ryder, Sr., as if exhausted by the violence of his own outburst, sank back limp in his chair. The crisis he dreaded had come at last. His son had openly defied his authority and was going to marry the daughter of his enemy. He must do something to prevent it; the marriage must not take place, but what could he do? The boy was of age and legally his own master. He could do nothing to restrain his actions unless they put him in an insane asylum. He would rather see his son there, he mused, than married to the Rossmore woman.
Presently there was a timid knock at the library door. Ryder rose from his seat and went to see who was there. To his surprise it was Miss Green.
"May I come in?" asked Shirley.
"Certainly, by all means. Sit down."
He drew up a chair for her, and his manner was so cordial that it was easy to see she was a welcome visitor.
"Mr. Ryder," she began in a low, tremulous voice, "I have come to see you on a very important matter. I"ve been waiting to see you all evening--and as I shall be here only a short time longer I--want to ask you a great favour--perhaps the greatest you were ever asked--I want to ask you for mercy--for mercy to--"
She stopped and glanced nervously at him, but she saw he was paying no attention to what she was saying. He was puffing heavily at his cigar, entirely preoccupied with his own thoughts. Her sudden silence aroused him. He apologized:
"Oh, excuse me--I didn"t quite catch what you were saying."
She said nothing, wondering what had happened to render him so absent-minded. He read the question in her face, for, turning towards her, he exclaimed:
"For the first time in my life I am face to face with defeat--defeat of the most ignominious kind--incapacity--inability to regulate my own internal affairs. I can rule a government, but I can"t manage my own family--my own son. I"m a failure. Tell me,"
he added, appealing to her, "why can"t I rule my own household, why can"t I govern my own child?"
"Why can"t you govern yourself?" said Shirley quietly.
Ryder looked keenly at her for a moment without answering her question; then, as if prompted by a sudden inspiration, he said:
"You can help me, but not by preaching at me. This is the first time in my life I ever called on a living soul for help. I"m only accustomed to deal with men. This time there"s a woman in the case--and I need your woman"s wit--"
"How can I help you?" asked Shirley.
"I don"t know," he answered with suppressed excitement. "As I told you, I am up against a blank wall. I can"t see my way." He gave a nervous little laugh and went on: "G.o.d! I"m ashamed of myself--ashamed! Did you ever read the fable of the Lion and the Mouse? Well, I want you to gnaw with your sharp woman"s teeth at the cords which bind the son of John Burkett Ryder to this Rossmore woman. I want you to be the mouse--to set me free of this disgraceful entanglement."
"How?" asked Shirley calmly.
"Ah, that"s just it--how?" he replied. "Can"t you think--you"re a woman--you have youth, beauty--brains." He stopped and eyed her closely until she reddened from the embarra.s.sing scrutiny. Then he blurted out: "By George! marry him yourself--force him to let go of this other woman! Why not? Come, what do you say?"
This unexpected suggestion came upon Shirley with all the force of a violent shock. She immediately saw the falseness of her position. This man was asking for her hand for his son under the impression that she was another woman. It would be dishonorable of her to keep up the deception any longer. She pa.s.sed her hand over her face to conceal her confusion.
"You--you must give me time to think," she stammered. "Suppose I don"t love your son--I should want something--something to compensate."
"Something to compensate?" echoed Ryder surprised and a little disconcerted. "Why, the boy will inherit millions--I don"t know how many."
"No--no, not money," rejoined Shirley; "money only compensates those who love money. It"s something else--a man"s honour--a man"s life! It means nothing to you."
He gazed at her, not understanding. Full of his own project, he had mind for nothing else. Ignoring therefore the question of compensation, whatever she might mean by that, he continued:
"You can win him if you make up your mind to. A woman with your resources can blind him to any other woman."
"But if--he loves Judge Rossmore"s daughter?" objected Shirley.
"It"s for you to make him forget her--and you can," replied the financier confidently. "My desire is to separate him from this Rossmore woman at any cost. You must help me." His sternness relaxed somewhat and his eyes rested on her kindly. "Do you know, I should be glad to think you won"t have to leave us. Mrs. Ryder has taken a fancy to you, and I myself shall miss you when you go."
"You ask me to be your son"s wife and you know nothing of my family," said Shirley.
"I know you--that is sufficient," he replied.
"No--no you don"t," returned Shirley, "nor do you know your son.
He has more constancy--more strength of character than you think--and far more principle than you have."
"So much the greater the victory for you," he answered good humouredly.
"Ah," she said reproachfully, "you do not love your son."
"I do love him," replied Ryder warmly. "It"s because I love him that I"m such a fool in this matter. Don"t you see that if he marries this girl it would separate us, and I should lose him. I don"t want to lose him. If I welcomed her to my house it would make me the laughing-stock of all my friends and business a.s.sociates. Come, will you join forces with me?"
Shirley shook her head and was about to reply when the telephone bell rang. Ryder took up the receiver and spoke to the butler downstairs: