Page:Georges Eekhoud - Escal Vigor, a novel.djvu/139

Rh Rotten counting, all the same! The youngster seems to have taken his bellyful of her! Devil a bit of chance that he'll ever marry you, my girl!"—"But, I catch on," he ruminated another day, pulling his nose, which, with him, was a sign of satisfaction! "the sly hussy thinks to round out her money-bag by taking the management of the house. No bad taste that! We'll only hit it off together all the better."

The scoundrel reckoned up everybody else's conscience by the scale of his own. Such artful villains miss the scent entirely when it is a matter of discovering noble motives.

At Escal-Vigor he resolved to push his point without further hesitation. Neglected by the Dykgrave and feeling weary and the time tedious Mrs Housekeeper might perhaps be more inclined to lend an ear to the declarations of the gallant coachman. If the minx should continue to entrench herself behind grand airs and to drape herself in virtue, the fellow hoped to reach his ends by other arguments; should patience and persuasion fail to win him his ends, he had quite made up his mind to take her by surprise and enjoy her by main force. Where