But she was no goddess to him; no golden cloud enveloped her; he saw her under a common daylight.

At the same time she attracted him; he was vain of what had seemed his conquest, and uneasily exultant in the thought of her immense fortune.

"I'll make her an excellent husband if she marries me," he said to himself stubbornly; "I can, and I will." But meanwhile how was this first stage to end?
At the White House that night Daphne had treated him with contumely, and before spectators.

He must either go or bring her to the point.
He withdrew suddenly from the window, flinging out the end of his cigarette.

"I'll propose to her to-morrow--and she may either take me or leave me!" He paced up and down his room, conscious of relief and fresh energy.