ose sentiments."

"Oh, I'm so glad!" said Florry, much relieved.

"Wait!" said Cappy dramatically. "Don't cheer yet. I've upset your apple
cart, my dear. I rejected the young man's proposition and condemned him
to a business of his own."

"But you wanted him for your port captain, Daddy dear. You wanted him
the very worst way."

"And that's just how I got him, Florry. I don't want any man whose
heart is not in his job, and a business man should never surrender for
sentimental reasons. You cannot mix sentiment and business, daughter; if
you do you'll get chaos. Matt Peasley surrendered to me--not because
he wanted to, but to please you. You've been picking on him rather hard
lately, haven't you?"

Florry admitted it.

"I knew it," Cappy declared. "I knew it--and that's why I exercised the
veto on you, Florry."

Florry's eyes dropped, and in the corners of them her father thought
he detected a glint of tears; whereupon he attacked his egg vigorously.
After a brief silence he said:

"Of course that means a slight delay in your plans for a June wedding--"

A tear crept through Florry's long lashes and dropped unheeded into her
grapefruit. Cappy saw it drop, but resolved to be cruel and ignore it.

"The infernal schemer couldn't resist the temptation to take a fall out
of your old man, Florry; so naturally I had to take a fall out of him;
though, at that, I have doubts whether I succeeded. I think I played
into his hand; and now I'm telling you about it to save him the trouble
and grief of an explanation he couldn't make and which you wouldn't
understand--from him. Some day my affairs will all be yours,
Florry--yours and Matt's; and he'll have to manage them for you. To
manage them well, he must have experience; hence, I decided, in about
two flips of a humming-bird's tail, that it would be a mighty good thing
for you and Matt if I forced him into business for himself and, as I
informed him, let him pay for that experience with his own money; for
that is the only kind of money that will buy him any experience worth
while. No young man ever learned a great deal when some sentimental
old fool footed the bill for his tuition fees in the college of hard
knocks."

"Poor Matt!" Florry sobbed. "He hasn't--had anything--except hard knocks
since he was--fourteen years--old."

"Yes," shrilled Cappy; "and just look at the difference between him and
these la-di-da boys that never had any hard knocks! Hard knocks! Why,
ha