now nothing whatsoever?"

Adelaide looked extremely languid, one of her methods of showing
annoyance.

"Really, Papa," she said, "the fact that he has come once to pay an
afternoon visit to Mathilde does not, it seems to me, make an engagement
inevitable. My child is not absolutely repellent, you know, and a good
many young men come to the house." Then suddenly remembering that her
oracle had already spoken on this subject, she asked more humbly, "What
was it made you say he was in love, Vin?"

"Just an impression," said Farron.

Mr. Lanley had been thinking it over.

"It was not the custom in my day," he began, and then remembering that
this was one of his sister Alberta's favorite openings, he changed the
form of his sentence. "I never allowed you to see stray young men--"

His daughter interrupted him.

"But I always saw them, Papa. I used to let them come early in the
afternoon before you came in."

In his heart Mr. Lanley doubted that this had been a regular custom, but
he knew it would be unwise to argue the point; so he started fresh.

"When a young man is attentive to a girl like Mathilde--"

"But he isn't," said Adelaide. "At least not what I should have called
attentive when I was a girl."

"Your experience was not long, my dear. You were married at
Mathilde's age."

"You may be sure of one thing, Papa, that I don't desire an early
marriage for my daughter."

"Very likely," returned her father, getting up, and buttoning the last
button of his coat; "but you may have noticed that we can't always get
just what we most desire for our children."

When he had gone, Vincent looked at his wife and smiled, but smiled
without approval. She twisted her shoulders.

"Oh, I suppose so," she said; "but I do so hate to be scolded about the
way I bring up Mathilde."

"Or about anything else, my dear."

"I don't hate to be scolded by you," she returned. "In fact, I sometimes
get a sort of servile enjoyment from it. Besides," she went on, "as a
matter of fact, I bring Mathilde up particularly well, quite unlike these
wild young women I see everywhere else. She tells me everything, and I
have perfectly the power of making her hate any one I disapprove of. But
you'll try and find out something about this young man, won't you, Vin?"

"We'll have a full report on him to-morrow. Do you know what his
first name is?"

"At the moment I don't recall his last. Oh, yes--Wayne. I'll ask Mathilde
when we go up-stair