it down there and let me look at you.
It's odd; I was going to you after the funeral. You know about General
Meredith, don't you? He went off like that. He is to be buried this
afternoon."

Mr. Menemon stood up and hunted for a match with which to light a lamp.
"Yes," he continued, "he was only ill for twenty-four hours. Think of
that, now! To tell you the truth, I haven't been very bright myself. I
wanted to speak to you about it. All last winter I was more or less
under the weather, and for some time I have been planning a trip abroad.
Now that you have an establishment of your own, Eden, you won't want
me." And as he said this, he smiled.

"Father, I have more need of you than ever."

"Yes," he answered, "I was jesting. I know you will miss me; but I will
come back with the violets."

He had succeeded in lighting the lamp and, still smiling, he turned and
looked at her. "The father-in-law element," he continued, and then
stopped abruptly, amazed at the expression of his daughter's face. "What
is it, Eden?" he asked at last.

"If you go abroad, I go with you."

For a moment he eyed her, as though seeking, untold, to divine the
meaning of her words.

"Nothing has gone wrong, has it?" he asked.

"He has deceived me."

"Usselex?"

"Who else is there whose deception I would notice?"

"You are mistaken, Eden; it is my fault; he consulted me in the
matter----"

"He consulted _you_? But how is such a thing possible. He never could
have consulted you, and if he had you would not have listened."

"Ah! but I did though. Between ourselves I thought it not uninteresting.
After all, it was not his fault. I thought it unadvisable that you
should learn of it before marriage, and afterwards, well, afterwards, it
was immaterial whether you did or whether you didn't."

"Father, either it is not you that speak, or I am demented."

"There, my dear, don't take it so seriously. I can't call it an everyday
matter, of course, but such things do happen, and as I said before, a
man's a man for all of that. If he said nothing it was because--well,
Eden, how could he? Ask yourself, how could he?"

"You knew of this before my marriage and you permitted the marriage to
take place?"

"Well--er, yes, Eden. Frankly now, it was a difficult matter to discuss
with you. You see, it was this way: a young girl like yourself, brought
up as you have been, is apt to have prejudices which men and women of
the world do not always share. A