"She locked her door," said Mrs. Sheridan, shaking her head woefully.
"She wouldn't even answer me. They wasn't a sound from her room."

"Well," said her husband, "she can settle her mind to it. She
never speaks to that fellow again, and if he tries to telephone her
to-morrow--Here! You tell the help if he calls up to ring off and say
it's my orders. No, you needn't. I'll tell 'em myself."

"Better not," said Bibbs, gently.

His father glared at him.

"It's no good," said Bibbs. "Mother, when you were in love with
father--"

"My goodness!" she cried. "You ain't a-goin' to compare your father to
that--"

"Edith feels about him just what you did about father," said Bibbs. "And
if YOUR father had told you--"

"I won't LISTEN to such silly talk!" she declared, angrily.

"So you're handin' out your advice, are you, Bibbs?" said Sheridan.
"What is it?"

"Let her see him all she wants."

"You're a--" Sheridan gave it up. "I don't know what to call you!"

"Let her see him all she wants," Bibbs repeated, thoughtfully. "You're
up against something too strong for you. If Edith were a weakling
you'd have a chance this way, but she isn't. She's got a lot of your
determination, father, and with what's going on inside of her she'll
beat you. You can't keep her from seeing him, as long as she feels about
him the way she does now. You can't make her think less of him, either.
Nobody can. Your only chance is that she'll do it for herself, and if
you give her time and go easy she probably will. Marriage would do it
for her quickest, but that's just what you don't want, and as you DON'T
want it, you'd better--"

"I can't stand any more!" Sheridan burst out. "If it's come to BIBBS
advisin' me how to run this house I better resign. Mamma, where's that
nigger George? Maybe HE'S got some plan how I better manage my family.
Bibbs, for God's sake go and lay down! 'Let her see him all she wants'!
Oh, Lord! here's wisdom; here's--"

"Bibbs," said Mrs. Sheridan, "if you haven't got anything to do, you
might step over and take Sibyl's wraps home--she left 'em in the hall. I
don't think you seem to quiet your poor father very much just now."

"All right." And Bibbs bore Sibyl's wraps across the street and
delivered them to Roscoe, who met him at the door. Bibbs said only,
"Forgot these," and, "Good night, Roscoe," cordially and cheerfully, and
returned to the New House. His mother and father were still talking in
the library, bu