his career she bore him a daughter and then died he erected
an expensive monument to her memory and took his oath that their
daughter should be the most gorgeous girl in Hanover and that her life
should be spent in having as good a time as her father's fortune
allowed. He then invited his widowed sister to live with him and take
charge of his child.

After this interlude he returned to his business grimmer of face and
harsher of heart, and the world was none the wiser regarding his grief
for the plain-faced woman in the churchyard. As his fortune multiplied
almost ironically he would often take time to think of his wife
Hannah, who was so tired of pots and pans and making dollars squeal so
that he might succeed and who was now at rest with an imposing marble
column to call attention to the fact.

So the Gorgeous Girl, as Hanover called her, half in ridicule and half
in envy, developed into a gorgeous young woman, as might be expected
with her father to pay her bills and her Aunt Belle to toddle meekly
after her. Aunt Belle, once married to a carpenter who had
conveniently died, never ceased to rejoice in her good fortune. She
was never really quite used to the luxury that had come to her instead
of to the woman in the churchyard. She revelled in Beatrice's clothes,
her own elaborate costumes, ordered the servants about, went to
Florida and the Bermudas whenever the Gorgeous Girl saw fit, rolled
about the country in limousines, and secretly admired the hideous
mansion Constantine had built--an ornate, overbearing brick affair
with curlicue trimmings and a tower with a handful of minor turrets.
It was furnished according to the dictates of a New York decorator,
though Constantine added several large pieces of village colour after
the decorator had pronounced his work as ended.

Hannah had always planned for a red-velvet cozy corner, and
Constantine didn't give a dozen damns if they were out of date--a red
velvet cozy corner was going to be installed in the blue drawing room.
A Swiss music box was another thing Hannah had hankered after--spoken
of just before she died--so the Swiss music box was given a place of
honour beside the residence pipe organ, and likewise some draperies
with plush tassels. The decorator, having his check, did not attempt
to argue, since his clientele were not apt to stop off at Hanover and
discover the crime.

Aunt Belle saw that Beatrice had a governess, a dancing teacher, more
party frocks