Carl dropped easily into a chair and glanced at his cousin's profile. The delicate oval of her face was firelit; her night-black hair one with the deeper shadows of the room. There was mystery in the lovely dusk of Diane's eyes--and discontent--and something mute and wistful crying for expression. "I've a proposition to make," said Carl lightly. "It's partly commercial, partly belated justice, partly eugenic and partly personal." "Your money is quite gone, is it not?" asked Diane, raising finely arched expressive eyebrows. "It is," admitted Carl ruefully. "My career as a bibulous meteor is over. Last night, after an exquisite shower of golden fire, I came tumbling to earth in the fashion of meteors, a disillusioned stone. In other words--stone broke. May I smoke?" "Assuredly." Carl lighted a cigarette. "And the proposition which is at the same time commercial, eugenic and--er--personal?" reminded Diane curiously. Carl ignored the delicate note of sarcasm. "It is merely," he said with a flash of impudence, "that you will marry me." Diane's eyes widened. "How frankly commercial!" she murmured. "Isn't it?" said Carl. "And an excellent opportunity for belated justice as well. My mother, save for our infernal Salic law of inheritance, was entitled to half the Westfall estate." Diane stared curiously at the fire-rimmed hem of her satin skirt. There was something of Carl's lazy impudence in the arch of her eyebrows. "There yet remains the eugenic inducement and, I believe, a personal one!" she hinted. "Thank heaven," exclaimed Carl devoutly, "that we're both logicians. The eugenic consideration is that by birth and brains and breeding I am your logical mate." Diane's eyes flashed with swift contempt. "Birth!" she repeated. The black demon of ungovernable temper leaped brutally from Carl's eyes. Leaning forward he caught the girl's hands in a vicious grip that hurt her cruelly though for all her swift color she did not flinch. "Listen, Diane," he said, his face very white; "if there is one thing in this rotten world of custom and convention and immoral morality which I honestly respect, it is the memory of my mother. Therefore you will please abstain from contemptuous reference to her by look or word." Diane met the clear, compelling rebuke of his fine eyes with unwavering directness.