on?"

"You have had this man here on purpose that he might make love to
Emily."

"I have done no such thing. You told me yourself that they were not
to be kept apart. He comes here, and it would be very odd indeed if I
were to tell the servants that he is not to be admitted. If you want
to quarrel with me, of course you can. I have always endeavoured to
be a good friend to Emily."

"It is not being a good friend to her, bringing her and this
adventurer together."

"I don't know why you call him an adventurer. But you are so very
odd in your ideas! He is received everywhere, and is always at the
Duchess of Omnium's."

"I don't care a fig about the Duchess."

"I dare say not. Only the Duke happens to be Prime Minister, and his
house is considered to have the very best society that England, or
indeed Europe, can give. And I think it is something in a young man's
favour when it is known that he associates with such persons as the
Duke of Omnium. I believe that most fathers would have a regard to
the company which a man keeps when they think of their daughter's
marrying."

"I ain't thinking of her marrying. I don't want her to marry;--not
this man at least. And I fancy the Duchess of Omnium is just as
likely to have scamps in her drawing-room as any other lady in
London."

"And do such men as Mr. Happerton associate with scamps?"

"I don't know anything about Mr. Happerton,--and I don't care
anything about him."

"He has L20,000 a year out of his business. And does Everett
associate with scamps?"

"Very likely."

"I never knew any one so much prejudiced as you are, Mr. Wharton.
When you have a point to carry there's nothing you won't say. I
suppose it comes from being in the courts."

"The long and the short of it is this," said the lawyer; "if I find
that Emily is brought here to meet Mr. Lopez, I must forbid her to
come at all."

"You must do as you please about that. But to tell you the truth, Mr.
Wharton, I think the mischief is done. Such a girl as Emily, when she
has taken it into her head to love a man, is not likely to give him
up."

"She has promised to have nothing to say to him without my sanction."

"We all know what that means. You'll have to give way. You'll find
that it will be so. The stern parent who dooms his daughter to
perpetual seclusion because she won't marry the man he likes, doesn't
belong to this age."

"Who talks about seclusion?"

"Do you suppose that she'll give up the