now something is in the wind,
more than what is told to you and I."

"One can only hope that it will be nothing foolish," Diane murmured,
guardedly.

"It _will_ be something foolish," Mrs. Wappinger declared, "and you may
take my word for it. Derek Pruyn can't arrogate to himself the powers of
the Lord above any more than we can. If he thinks he can stop young
blood from running he'll find out he's wrong."

It was the first mention of his name that Diane had heard in many weeks,
and at the sound her hand trembled in such a way that she was obliged to
put down untasted the cup she had half raised to her lips.

"He's not an unkind man," she found voice to say; "he's only a mistaken
one. He has one of those natures capable of dealing magnificently with
great affairs, but helpless in the trivial matters of every day. He's
like the people who see well at a distance, but become confused over the
objects right under their eyes."

"Then the farther you keep away from that man the better the view he'll
take of you. It's what I'd say to Carli if he'd ask for my advice."

"Does that mean," Diane ventured to inquire, "that you don't want him to
marry Dorothea?"

"I certainly do not. If there were no other reason, she's the sort of
girl to make me put one foot into the grave, whether I want to or no;
and it stands to reason that I don't want to be squelched one hour
before my time."

"Naturally; but I fancy you'd find her a sweeter girl than you might
suppose."

"So she may be, dear; but I've spent too much money on Carli to wish to
see him force his way into a family where he isn't wanted."

This was the text of Mrs. Wappinger's discourse, not only on the present
occasion, but on the subsequent "off-days," when Diane was induced to
visit Waterwild.

"Whatever is going on, Reggie Bradford's in it," she confided to Diane
some few weeks later.

"Is that the fat young man with the big laugh?"

"Yes; and one of the greatest catches in New York. Carli tells me he's
wild about Marion Grimston, and I can see for myself that Mrs. Bayford
is playing him against that Frenchman. She'll get the title if she can,
but if not, she'll fall back on the money."

"It's a pretty safe alternative," Diane smiled, making an effort to
speak without betraying her feelings.

"Reggie is a good-natured boy," Mrs. Wappinger pursued, "but a regular
water-pipe. If you want to get anything out of him you've only got to
turn the faucet. It's jus