She clasped her hands together, and her nails were hurting her tender skin; but the colour in her face did not alter, nor did her eyes fall beneath her father's gaze. He gave a quick sigh, and then resumed his remarks.
"God knows why you go, but you yourself think it heroic--you think you will help?"
"I shall help," she answered. "There is a task to be done, and if I do not undertake it, two lives may be ruined."
"Why don't you confide in me fully, Katherine?"
"Because I can't. Up to the present you have always taken me on trust; you must take me on trust now."
"I have had my say," he remarked. "To me it is the reverse of filial; to me it savours of sentiment, not of duty. But you go, I take it, in spite of my feelings."
"I am sorry, father, but I do go in spite of your feelings."
"Then we will cease to talk over why you go. We have too little time to talk of the way in which you go. You are a rich woman, Katherine."
"Since your mother died I have toiled for you; I have added pound to pound, and hundred to hundred, and thousand to thousand--and all has been for you. And if I died to-morrow, you would find yourself one of the greatest heiresses in London. You would have a cool million of your own--yes, a cool million--to do exactly what you liked with. And if I live another ten years, God only knows how many millions you may have. The American heiresses will be nothing to you. And it's money in consols, mind you, as safe as the Bank of England. And I have done it--I, your father, David Hunt."
"There never was such a daddy," said the girl.
"It seems to me that you don't think much of him. But there, I am getting personal, and I don't wish to be that. But you will understand that, as you have made up your mind to do this foolhardy, mad, and reckless thing, you must do it comfortably--you must do it in the best possible way. There is to be no stint, mind you. When you want to draw on me, draw. I will give you a cheque book, and I'll sign every cheque, and you can fill in any amount you fancy. Can I do more than that?"
"No one else would do as much," she said.
"And you will take care of yourself, Kate? you won't run needlessly into risk? you won't try to catch that abominable fever, which they say tracks our armies like the plague, will you, Kate?"
