against God and man if he did. No, no! Never that!
The man's a bankrupt, a scoundrel, a thafe. If ye had him, ye'd soon be
the unhappiest woman in the world. He wouldn't be faithful to ye. No,
he couldn't. He's not that kind." He paused, sick to the depths of his
soul. "Ye must go away. I say it once and for all. I mane it kindly, but
I want it. I have yer best interests at heart. I love ye; but ye must.
I'm sorry to see ye go--I'd rather have ye here. No one will be sorrier;
but ye must. Ye must make it all seem natcheral and ordinary to yer
mother; but ye must go--d'ye hear? Ye must."

He paused, looking sadly but firmly at Aileen under his shaggy eyebrows.
She knew he meant this. It was his most solemn, his most religious
expression. But she did not answer. She could not. What was the use?
Only she was not going. She knew that--and so she stood there white and
tense.

"Now get all the clothes ye want," went on Butler, by no means grasping
her true mood. "Fix yourself up in any way you plase. Say where ye want
to go, but get ready."

"But I won't, father," finally replied Aileen, equally solemnly, equally
determinedly. "I won't go! I won't leave Philadelphia."

"Ye don't mane to say ye will deliberately disobey me when I'm asking ye
to do somethin' that's intended for yer own good, will ye daughter?"

"Yes, I will," replied Aileen, determinedly. "I won't go! I'm sorry, but
I won't!"

"Ye really mane that, do ye?" asked Butler, sadly but grimly.

"Yes, I do," replied Aileen, grimly, in return.

"Then I'll have to see what I can do, daughter," replied the old man.
"Ye're still my daughter, whatever ye are, and I'll not see ye come to
wreck and ruin for want of doin' what I know to be my solemn duty. I'll
give ye a few more days to think this over, but go ye must. There's an
end of that. There are laws in this land still. There are things that
can be done to those who won't obey the law. I found ye this time--much
as it hurt me to do it. I'll find ye again if ye try to disobey me. Ye
must change yer ways. I can't have ye goin' on as ye are. Ye understand
now. It's the last word. Give this man up, and ye can have anything ye
choose. Ye're my girl--I'll do everything I can in this world to make
ye happy. Why, why shouldn't I? What else have I to live for but me
children? It's ye and the rest of them that I've been workin' and
plannin' for all these years. Come now, be a good girl. Ye love your old
father, don't y