e--impressionable."

Then, somewhat to her astonishment, Stirling quietly agreed with her.

"Yes," he said, "that's so. Seems to me it was intended that they
should be. It's part of the scheme."

He made a little gesture.

"We'll let that point slide. Anything strike you as being wrong with
Weston?"

"No," said the somewhat startled lady, "the man is of course reliable,
well-conducted, and attentive; but, after all, when one says that----"

"When you said reliable you hit it. It's a word that means a good
deal; but couldn't you say a little more than well-conducted? From
something your daughter learned by chance, his relatives are people of
position in the old country. That counts for a little, though perhaps
it shouldn't."

Once more Mrs. Kinnaird's astonishment was very evident.

"It shouldn't?"

"That's just what I meant. If a man is clean of character, and has
grit and snap in him, I don't know that one could reasonably look for
anything further. I can't see how the fact that his grandfather was
this or that is going to affect him. The man we're talking of has
grit. I offered him promotion, and he wouldn't take it."

"Ah," said his companion, "didn't that strike you as significant?"

Stirling looked thoughtful.

"Well," he admitted slowly, "as a matter of fact, it didn't; but it
does now."

He sat silent for almost a minute, with wrinkled forehead, while Mrs.
Kinnaird watched him covertly. Then, feeling the silence embarrassing,
she made another effort.

"Supposing that my fancies concerning what might perhaps come about
are justified?" she suggested.

Stirling faced the question.

"Well," he said, "whether they're justified or not is a thing we don't
know yet; but I want to say this. I have never had reason to worry
over my daughter, and it seems to me a sure thing that she's not going
to give me cause for it now. When she chooses her husband, she'll
choose the right one, and she'll have her father's money; it won't
matter very much whether he's rich or not. All I ask is that he should
be straight and clean of mind, and nervy, and I guess Ida will see to
that. When she tells me that she is satisfied, I'll just try to make
the most of him."

He broke off for a moment, and laughed softly.

"I guess it wouldn't matter if I didn't. My girl's like her mother,
and she's like--me. When she comes across the right man she'll hold
fast by him with everything against her, if it's necessary, as her
mot