“Decidedly Mrs. Pasmer, rather. Better be honest, Dan.” “I'll do my best. I was thinking, hoping, that is, that as I'm going right into the business--have gone into it already, in fact--and could begin life at once, that perhaps there wouldn't be much sense in waiting a great while.” “Yes?” “That's all. That is, if you and father are agreed.” He reflected upon this provision, and added, with a laugh of confusion and pleasure: “It seems to be so very much more of a family affair than I used to think it was.” “You thought it concerned just you and her?” said his mother, with arch sympathy. “Well, yes.” “Poor fellow! She knew better than that, you may be sure. At any rate, her mother did.” “What Mrs. Pasmer doesn't know isn't probably worth knowing,” said Dan, with an amused sense of her omniscience. “I thought so,” sighed his mother, smiling too. “And now you begin to find out that it concerns the families in all their branches on both sides.” “Oh, if it stopped at the families and their ramifications! But it seems to take in society and the general public.” “So it does--more than you can realise. You can't get married to yourself alone, as young people think; and if you don't marry happily, you sin against the peace and comfort of the whole community.” “Yes, that's what I'm chiefly looking out for now. I don't want any of those people in Central Africa to suffer. That's the reason I want to marry Alice at the earliest opportunity. But I suppose there'll have to be a Mavering embassy to the high contracting powers of the other part now?” “Your father and one of the girls had better go down.” “Yes?” “And invite Mr. and Mrs. Pasmer and their daughter to come up here.” “All on probation?” “Oh no. If you're pleased, Dan--” “I am, mother--measurably.” They both laughed at this mild way of putting it. “Why, then it's to be supposed that we're all pleased. You needn't bring the whole Pasmer family home to live with you, if you do marry them all.” “No,” said Dan, and suddenly he became very distraught. It flashed through him that his mother was expecting him to come home with Alice to live, and that she would not be at all pleased with his scheme of a European sojourn, which Mrs. Pasmer had so cordially adopted. He was amazed that he had not thought of that, but he refused to see any difficulty which his happiness could not cope with. “No, there's that view of it,” he said jollily; and he buried his momentary anxiety out of sight, and, as it were, danced upon its grave. Nevertheless, he had a desire to get quickly away from the spot. “I hope the Mavering embassy won't be a great while getting ready to go,” he said. “Of course it's all right; but I shouldn't want an appearance of reluctance exactly, you know, mother; and if there should be much of an interval between my getting back and their coming on, don't you know, why, the cat might let herself out of the bag.” “What cat?” asked his mother demurely.