Toney flew off leaving the sisters alone. Jeanie again hid her face, but she no longer sobbed, and Maud knelt by her holding her hand.
"Oh, Jim, is he in there? I've only ten minutes," said Toney. Jim nodded.
"He said no one was to come in, Miss Tonia."
"But I _must_ go, I'm just like Queen Esther. I do hope he'll hold out his sceptre."
Jim opened the door, and Toney stood face to face with the genius, who was pacing the narrow limits of the small waiting-room.
"Oh, please forgive me! I've come to tell you that Jim, who's a great friend of mine, says he could forgive and forget if I told him to do so--I thought I'd better tell you to--forgive and forget."
No one could have resisted a smile at this speech, even Frank Weston, who was smarting from the opening of the old wound, smiled, then sternly he said, "I--did not want to see anybody."
"I'm not anybody, indeed I'm not. Just a poor relation of Sir Evas, till I got a lot of money left to me by the dearest old General. He was good, you bet, and _he_ would have forgiven anyone, especially if--they sent these flowers."
There seemed to be no need of an explanation between these two. Frank Weston had now realised Toney's conspiracy.
Toney held out the lovely bunch of roses she had herself tied up for Jeanie.
"Look, please take them--exchange them--if you forgive her. She is just sobbing her heart out and calling herself no end of names, I believe she is heart-broken, and says she only wants your forgiveness."
The genius turned away and there was silence.
"There is so little time, Mr. Weston, can't you make up your mind?"
"You hardly understand, Miss Whitburn," he said turning suddenly towards Toney, who held the flowers in her hand. "I loved Miss Hamilton with all my heart. She made me believe she loved me, and then she threw me over because my father had honestly earned his living in trade, because he had nobly scraped every penny from his hard-earned money to give me a musical education. I can never make you rich people understand what I owe to my father, and when Miss Hamilton----"
"Oh yes, don't dwell on it, I told you it was the old pussy cat, her mother--Aunt Dove would be just the same--but you must not think Jeanie is like that now--Pups--(that's my father)--did everything for me and I quite understand, but then he would have been the first to tell me to make it up. Wouldn't your father?"