d worries now, and could only thank heaven, and
perhaps, as Aunt Lawrence suggested, Elmendorf, that such reformation
had been achieved in his boy.

But never until the evening of his return had he seriously faced the
problem as to Forrest for a son-in-law. Only once or twice had he
vaguely asked himself if there was danger of Flo's falling in love with
him. With parental fondness he looked upon it as quite natural that
Forrest should fall in love with her, and with worldly wisdom thought it
more than probable that Forrest should desire to become possessed of so
many charms and concomitant stocks and bonds. All that made no serious
difference. Forrest might love and languish all he liked, if it was fun
for Flo. It never occurred to him that her father's daughter could fall
in love on her own account with a penniless lieutenant. But now he and
Aunt Lawrence had had a sharp talk. Florence was not to go down, said
she, and it was time her brother knew why. The child was infatuated with
a man unworthy of her from almost every point of view, yet who, while
paying her lover-like devotions, dared to slight her at times for
a--creature with whom he was maintaining relations that needed to be
promptly investigated and put an end to. He, that man Forrest, had dared
to send a note to Florence Allison excusing himself from dinner on the
plea of urgent work that had to be finished, and then was seen in a
public place supping with the low-bred person herself. Yes, since
Allison demanded to know, Mr. Elmendorf _was_ her informant. But ask
anybody at the Hotel Belmont, where the two brazenly appeared together
at the very hour Forrest was due here. It wasn't a block from the
library. Then ask the janitor of the Lambert who were there in the
private office afterwards, and, though he is here now, see if from here
Forrest does not go back to her, back to that same office where so often
they have been closeted before this. Mrs. Lawrence had been compelled,
she said, to open Florence's eyes as to this deceit and duplicity of her
lover, and naturally she had declined to go downstairs and receive him.
She did not say, however, that Florence had indignantly refused at first
to believe that there was anything wrong, had worked herself up into a
glorious passion of tears over the matter, and was looking like a fright
in consequence when, full twenty minutes after its arrival, Mrs.
Lawrence pushed Forrest's card under the locked door of her niece's