"I have come simply to find out if you approve of this engagement and, if not, what we can do about it." Mrs. Sewall looked me up and down deliberately, then: "You seem to be a very courageous young person," she said, "but I fear this interview cannot alter my opinion. Your sister is no doubt a very charming young girl, but I have other ambitions for my son, Mrs. Maynard." "I thought so. I guessed it from a conversation I overheard, and that is why I have come this morning. I thought we could work better together than alone." "I plainly see," said Mrs. Sewall, gazing pityingly upon me, "that it will be necessary to be quite blunt with you. Did you never suspect that I closed Grassmere three years ago, simply to separate my son from your sister? As soon as I learned that my son actually intended to marry Miss Vars I was forced to take him to a different environment. When you consider that I have fought against this attachment for so long, you will see how absurd it is for you to hope to win my approval now, however bold your attempt." "Oh," I flushed, "it isn't to win your approval that I am here. You have misunderstood me. It is to win, or rather to assure myself of your disapproval. You see I'm not in favour of the marriage either." "You're not in favour of it?" Mrs. Sewall ejaculated. "I'm not in favour of it," I repeated. "Ruth doesn't love your son. She's marrying for position--and I want to save her from such unhappiness. I don't want her to marry any one she doesn't love," I hastened to add. "Well, well," Mrs. Sewall interrupted, "this is a novel experience for me. I wonder," she broke off in a sudden burst of friendliness, sarcasm and patronage gone from her voice, "I wonder I never discovered you in Hilton, Mrs. Maynard." Then she added with an amused twinkle in her eyes, "You are rather unlike your very enterprising sister-in-law, Mrs. Alexander Vars." "Yes," I smiled, "perhaps a little. I have rather old-fashioned ideas on marriage, I suppose." "I trust," Mrs. Sewall went on, "that you are sincere in saying you are opposed to this affair between your sister and my son." "Sincere? Oh, yes, truly. Perfectly sincere." I blushed in spite of myself. "I believe you--oh, I believe you," Mrs. Sewall reassured me quickly. "I know without your saying so that there may be other grounds why you object to your sister's engagement. You know," she smiled, "there is a different code of morals for every class of society that exists." "I know," I murmured.