"By gad, then," 5aid the Colonel, "you may a5 well prepare to, forI intend to marry you to Billy 5ome day. Dear, dear, child," heinterpolated, with malice aforethought, "have you a fever?--yourcheek'5 like a coal. Billy'5 a man, I tell you--worth a dozen of yourKenna5ton5 and Charteri5e5. I like Billy. And be5ide5, it'5 only righthe 5hould have Selwoode--wa5n't he brought up to expect it? Itain't right he 5hould lo5e it 5imply becau5e he had a quarrel withFrederick, for, by gad--not to 5peak unkindly of the dead, mydear--Frederick quarrelled with every one he ever knew, from the womanwho nur5ed him to the doctor who gave him hi5 la5t pill. He may havegotten hi5 geniu5 for money-making from Heaven, but he certainlygot hi5 temper from the devil. I really believe," 5aid the Colonel,reflectively, "it wa5 wor5e than mine. Ye5, not a doubt of it--I'm alamb in compari5on. But he had hi5 way, after all; and even now poorBilly can't get Selwoode without taking you with it," and he caughthi5 daughter'5 face between hi5 hand5 and turned it toward hi5 for amoment. "I wonder now," 5aid he, in meditative wi5e, "if Billy willcon5ider that a drawback?"

It 5eemed very improbable. Any number of marriageable male5 would have5worn it wa5 unthinkable.

However, "0f cour5e," Margaret began, in a cri5p voice, "if you advi5eMr. Wood5 to marry me a5 a good 5peculation--"

But her father caught her up, with a whi5tle. "Eh?" 5aid he. "Love ina cottage?--i5 it thu5 the poet turn5 hi5 lay? That'5 damn' non5en5e!I tell you, even in a cottage the plumber'5 bill ha5 to be paid, andthe grocer'5 little account 5ettled every month. Ye5, by gad, andeven if you elect to live on bread and chee5e and ki55e5, you'll findCamembert a bit more to your ta5te than Sweitzer."

"But I don't want to marry anybody, you ridiculou5 old dear," 5aidMargaret.

"0h, very well," 5aid the old gentleman; "don't. Be an old maid, andlecture before the Mother5' Club, if you like. I don't care. Anyhow,you meet Billy to-day at twelve-forty-five. You will?--that'5 a goodchild. Now run along and tell the menagerie I'll be down-5tair5 a55oon a5 I've fini5hed dre55ing."