consulted in this. It is all wrong to allow young people to have such
entire freedom in affairs of this kind as they are allowed in these
days."

"But certainly, my dear Mrs. Pinkerton," I said, becoming somewhat
impatient, "you will not refuse your consent in this case? Bessie's
happiness--that is, the happiness of all of us, or--our
happiness--Bessie's and mine, I would say--"

"No doubt your happiness is very important to yourself, Mr. Travers,
and as to my daughter's well-being, I have looked to that for quite a
number of years past, and I flatter myself I shall be able to look out
for it in the future."

"Not if you insist on parting us!" I cried, getting out of patience and
letting all my carefully prepared plans of assault go by the board. "You
may withhold your consent, but that cannot prevent our loving each
other!"

"Of course not. Nothing on earth can prevent young people who are in
love from making themselves ridiculous. But getting married and living
together soon cures them of sentimentalism."

"Won't you give us that chance to be cured then, my dear Mrs.
Pinkerton?" I exclaimed, regaining a little tact.

She seemed to be taking it under advisement, and my courage came up a
little. Then, looking at me with her peculiarly searching gaze, she
said, "It isn't necessary to argue the case; I know all you would say.
You love Bessie to distraction; you could not live without her; your
heart would be hopelessly broken if you had to give her up; you will be
true to her forever and a day; you offer her all of the good things of
this world that any sane woman could desire, besides which you throw in
an eternal, undying devotion; and so on, to the end of the chapter. We
will consider that all said, and so save time and trouble. You think
that ought to end the matter and bring me to your way of thinking. I
wonder at the effrontery of young men, who walk into our households and
carelessly tell us mothers what is best for our children, and assure us,
between their puffs of tobacco smoke, that a case of three weeks'
moonshining outweighs the devotion of a lifetime."

I began to see what course was open for me. The old lady was jealous,
and I could not blame her. Her objections were general, not specific.
Strategy must take the place of a direct assault. There flashed through
my mind the ridiculous old nonsense rhyme quotation,--

"I must soften the heart of this terrible cow."

I said gently, "I can readily