't you?"

The visitor shook his head. "No, thank you, not now," he said hastily,
placing the defunct cigar carefully on the captain's desk. "I won't
smoke for the minute. So you want me to begin the talking, do you? It
seems to me I have begun it. I told you that I do not like the idea
of my daughter's being engaged to--to say nothing of marrying--your
grandson. My wife likes it even less than I do. That is enough of a
statement to begin with, isn't it?"

"Why, no, not exactly, if you'll excuse my sayin' so. Your daughter
herself--how does she feel about it?"

"Oh, she is enthusiastic, naturally. She appears to be suffering from
temporary insanity on the subject."

"She don't seem to think it's quite as--er--preposterous, and ridiculous
and outrageous--and Lord knows what all--as your wife does, eh?"

"No. I say, Snow, I hope you're not too deeply offended by what my wife
wrote you. I judge you are quoting from her letter and apparently she
piled it on red-hot. You'll have to excuse her; she was almost wild all
day yesterday. I'll ask your pardon on her behalf."

"Sho, sho! No need, Mr. Fosdick, no need at all. I know what women
are, even the easy-goin' kind, when they've got steam up. I've got a
wife--and I had a daughter. But, gettin' back on the course again, you
think your daughter's crazy because she wants to marry my grandson. Is
that it?"

"Why, no, I wouldn't say that, exactly. Of course, I wouldn't say that."

"But, you see, you did say it. However, we'll leave that to one side
for a spell. What objection--what real objection is there to those two
marryin'--my grandson and your daughter--provided that they care for
each other as they'd ought to?"

Mr. Fosdick's expression changed slightly. His tone, as he replied to
the question, was colder and his manner less cordial.

"I don't know that it is worth while answering that in detail," he said,
after an instant's pause. "Frankly, Captain Snow, I had rather hoped
you would see, for yourself, the reasons why such a marriage wouldn't be
desirable. If you don't see them, if you are backing up your grandson
in his business, why--well, there is no use in our discussing the matter
any further, is there? We should only lose our tempers and not gain
much. So we had better end it now, I think."

He rose to his feet. Captain Zelotes, leaning forward, held up a
protesting hand.

"Now--now, Mr. Fosdick," he said earnestly, "I don't want you to
misunderstand me.