sort of a wife I am going to
make? And why should he go down on his knees more than I on mine? When
there are more women in the world than men, too!"

The doctor shook his head.

"Ah, there is no arguing with you saucy girls," said he. "But I know
that I, for my part, don't know of a man in the whole world who is
worthy to marry one of my daughters."

As the doctor finished speaking, the door was opened quickly, and Mr.
Wedmore came in, looking white and worried.

Doreen ran to him with an anxious face.

"What have you done, papa, what have you done? Did you see him? What did
you say? What did you say?"

Mr. Wedmore put his arm around his daughter, and kissed her tenderly.

"Don't trouble your head about him any more, my dear child," said he in
a husky voice. "He isn't worth it. He isn't worthy of you."

Doreen drew away from her father, looking into his face with searching
eyes and with an expression full of fear.

"Papa, what do you mean? You have sent him away?"

Mr. Wedmore answered in a loud and angry voice; but it was clear enough
that the anger was not directed against his daughter.

"I did not send him away. He took himself off. I had hardly begun to
speak to him--and I began quite quietly, mind--when he made the excuse
of a letter which he found waiting for him, to go back to town. Without
any ceremony, he rushed out of the study into the hall, and snatched up
his hat and coat to go."

"And is he gone?" asked Doreen, in a low voice, as she staggered back a
step.

"Oh, yes, I suppose so. And a good riddance, too. There was no letter at
all for him, I suppose."

"Yes, there was a letter!" faltered Doreen.

She gave a glance round her; seemed to remember suddenly the presence of
a third person, for she blushed deeply on meeting the doctor's eyes;
then, without another word, she sprang across the room to the door.

"Where are you going?" cried her father, as he followed her into the
hall.

But she did not answer. The hall-door was closing with a loud clang.

Doreen was not the girl to lose her lover for want of a little energy.
She was fonder of Dudley than people imagined. There is always an
inclination in the general mind to consider that a person of lively
temperament is incapable of a deep feeling. And Mr. Wedmore had only
shown a common tendency in believing that his beautiful and brilliant
daughter would easily give up the lover whom he considered unworthy of
her. But he was wrong. Much