is father, "but he has consulted
other people. And he has arrived at the conclusion that mineral paint
is a good thing to go into. He has found out all about it, and about
its founder or inventor. It's quite impressive to hear him talk. And
if he must do something for himself, I don't see why his egotism
shouldn't as well take that form as another. Combined with the paint
princess, it isn't so agreeable; but that's only a remote possibility,
for which your principal ground is your motherly solicitude. But even
if it were probable and imminent, what could you do? The chief
consolation that we American parents have in these matters is that we
can do nothing. If we were Europeans, even English, we should take
some cognisance of our children's love affairs, and in some measure
teach their young affections how to shoot. But it is our custom to
ignore them until they have shot, and then they ignore us. We are
altogether too delicate to arrange the marriages of our children; and
when they have arranged them we don't like to say anything, for fear we
should only make bad worse. The right way is for us to school
ourselves to indifference. That is what the young people have to do
elsewhere, and that is the only logical result of our position here.
It is absurd for us to have any feeling about what we don't interfere
with."

"Oh, people do interfere with their children's marriages very often,"
said Mrs. Corey.

"Yes, but only in a half-hearted way, so as not to make it disagreeable
for themselves if the marriages go on in spite of them, as they're
pretty apt to do. Now, my idea is that I ought to cut Tom off with a
shilling. That would be very simple, and it would be economical. But
you would never consent, and Tom wouldn't mind it."

"I think our whole conduct in regard to such things is wrong," said
Mrs. Corey.

"Oh, very likely. But our whole civilisation is based upon it. And
who is going to make a beginning? To which father in our acquaintance
shall I go and propose an alliance for Tom with his daughter? I should
feel like an ass. And will you go to some mother, and ask her sons in
marriage for our daughters? You would feel like a goose. No; the only
motto for us is, Hands off altogether."

"I shall certainly speak to Tom when the time comes," said Mrs. Corey.

"And I shall ask leave to be absent from your discomfiture, my dear,"
answered her husband.

The son returned that afternoon, and confessed