tisfied, too. Besides, he made their
sittings so delightful and flirted with them with such absolute
discretion always. The year that Hugo Tancred met Fay was a particularly
good year, and Anthony had bought a touring-car, and they all went up to
Scotland in it. The girls were always well dressed and went out a good
deal. Young as she was, Jan was already an excellent manager and a
pleasant hostess. She had been taking care of her father from the time
she was twelve years old, and knew exactly how to manage him. When there
was plenty of money she let him launch out; when it was spent she made
him draw in again, and he was always quite ready to do so. Money as
money had no charms for Anthony Ross, but the pleasures it could
provide, the kindnesses it enabled him to do, the easy travel and the
gracious life were precious to him. He abhorred debt in any form and
paid his way as he went; lavishly when he had it, justly and exactly
always.

On hearing all this Peter came to the conclusion that Hugo Tancred was
not altogether to blame if he had expected a good deal more financial
assistance from his father-in-law than he got. Anthony made no marriage
settlement on Fay. He allowed her two hundred a year for her personal
expenses and considered that Hugo Tancred should manage the running of
his own house out of his quite comfortable salary. He had, of course, no
smallest inkling of Hugo's debts or gambling propensities. And all might
have gone well if only Anthony Ross had made a new will when Fay
married; a will which tied up her mother's money and anything he might
leave her, so that she couldn't touch the capital. But nothing of the
kind was done.

It never occurred to Jan to think of wills.

Anthony Ross was strong and cheerful and so exceedingly young at
fifty-two that it seemed absurd that he should have grown-up daughters,
quite ludicrous that he should be a grandfather.

Many charming ladies would greatly like to have occupied the position of
stepmother to "those nice girls," but Anthony, universal lover as he was
within strictly platonic limits, showed no desire to give his girls
anything of the sort. Jan satisfied his craving for a gracious and
well-ordered comfort in all his surroundings. Fay gratified his aesthetic
appreciation of beauty and gentleness. What would he do with a third
woman who might introduce discord into these harmonies?

Fay came home for a short visit when Tony was six months old, as Hugo
ha