He came down
to Brighton to thank his friends for their generous desire to enrich his
wife, and to decline, on her part, any share in John Haygarth's wealth.
It was in vain that Gustave and Diana argued the point, Mr. Hawkehurst
was fixed as fate.
"Believe me, it is better as it is," he said. "Charlotte and I have
arrived at this conviction with all due thought and deliberation. We are
both young, and the world is all before us. There is much in the past
that I have to redeem, as Diana well knows. It is better that I should
fight the battle of life unaided, and rise from the ranks by right of my
merit as a soldier. If ever we have need of help--if ever I find myself
breaking down--you may be sure that it is to you I shall come. By and by,
if Providence gives me children to work for, I will refuse no bounty that
you may bestow on them. Their future may be rendered secure by your
generosity, if you please, Lenoble; they will be your kindred. But for an
alien like myself there is no discipline so wholesome as honest hard
work. I am as rich as John Milton when he set up a school in St. Bride's
Churchyard."
To this resolution Mr. Hawkehurst adhered with a gentle firmness.
"Thou art chivalrous like Don Quixote," said Gustave Lenoble; "but it
shall be as thou wouldest. Touch there."
He offered his hand, which the other grasped with all heartiness.
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