Yet Dolly never forgot the grand gentleman's name, though
she hadn't the least idea why he gave that yellow coin to her.
Out of this small episode, however, grew Herminia's great temptation.
For Sir Anthony, being a man tenacious of his purpose, went home
that day full of relenting thoughts about that girl Dolores. Her
golden hair had sunk deep into his heart. She was Alan's own
child, after all; she had Alan's blue eyes; and in a world where
your daughters go off and marry men you don't like, while your sons
turn out badly, and don't marry at all to vex you, it's something
to have some fresh young life of your blood to break in upon your
chilly old age and cheer you. So the great doctor called a few
days later at Herminia's lodgings, and having first ascertained
that Herminia herself was out, had five minutes' conversation alone
with her landlady.
There were times, no doubt, when Mrs. Barton was ill? The landlady
with the caution of her class, admitted that might be so. And
times no doubt when Mrs. Barton was for the moment in arrears with
her rent? The landlady, good loyal soul, demurred to that
suggestion; she knit her brows and hesitated.
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