nted it to be
perfectly simple, but not infantile, and each phrase he thought of in
conformity with his one rule sounded like the opening lines of the stage
child's speech.

In the crisis of Adelaide's being actually back again in the room he
found himself saying:

"Mrs. Farron, I think you ought to know exactly what has been happening."

"Don't I?" she asked.

"No. You know that I was going to San Francisco the day after
to-morrow--"

"Oh dear," said Adelaide, regretfully, "is it given up?"

He told her rather slowly the whole story. The most terrible moment was,
as he had expected, when he explained that they had met, he and Mathilde,
to apply for their marriage license. Adelaide turned, and looked full at
her daughter.

"You were going to treat me like that?" Mathilde burst into tears. She
had long been on the brink of them, and now they came more from nerves
than from a sense of the justice of her mother's complaint. But the sound
of them upset Wayne hopelessly. He couldn't go on for a minute, and Mr.
Lanley rose to his feet.

"Good Lord! good Lord!" he said, "that was dishonorable! Can't you see
that that is dishonorable, to marry her on the sly when we trusted her to
go about with you--"

"O Papa, never mind about the dishonorableness," said Adelaide. "The
point is"--and she looked at Wayne--"that they were building their
elopement on something that turned out to be a fraud. That doesn't make
one think very highly of your judgment, Mr. Wayne."

"I made a mistake, Mrs. Farron."

"It was a bad moment to make one. You have worked three years with this
firm and never suspected anything wrong?"

"Yes, sometimes I have--"

Adelaide's eyebrows went up.

"Oh, you have suspected. You had reason to think the whole thing might be
dishonest, but you were willing to run away with Mathilde and let her get
inextricably committed before you found out--"

"That's irresponsible, sir," said Lanley. "I don't suppose you
understood what you were doing, but it was utterly irresponsible."

"I think," said Adelaide, "that it finally answers the question as to
whether or not you are too young to be married."

"Mama, I will marry Pete," said Mathilde, trying to make a voice broken
with sobs sound firm and resolute.

"Mr. Wayne at the moment has no means whatsoever, as I understand it,"
said Adelaide.

"I don't care whether he has or not," said Mathilde.

Adelaide laughed. The laugh rather shocked Mr. Lanley. He t