“Father!” Miss Dalton had risen now from her chair, and stood calmly confronting the enraged man; but she was very pale. “Father,” she repeated, “I cannot understand why you should be so exceedingly bitter toward me whenever I happen to differ from you upon any point; neither can I understand the change in your general treatment of me during the last two years. You used to be gentle and indulgent with me until after mamma and Uncle Richard died, and it is very hard for me to bear your scorn and anger. But—please do not think I intend to be disrespectful or willful—but I consider that neither you nor any one else has a right to speak to me in the way you have done to-day regarding a subject so sacred as the disposal of my affections. They are my own, to be bestowed whenever and upon whoever my heart shall dictate. Hear me out, please,” she said, as he was about to angrily interrupt her. “I claim that I have a perfect and indisputable right to judge for myself in a matter so vital to my own interests and happiness, and when the proper time comes—I shall exercise that right. Do not misunderstand me. I have no desire to displease you, nor to go contrary to your wishes. I would not seem to threaten, either; but you have wounded me more deeply than you imagine to-day, and I must speak freely, once for all. I cannot allow any one—not even my own father—to dispose of my future for me.” “Do I understand you to mean that you would marry a man whom everybody looked down upon and despised, if you happened to take a fancy to him?” Mr. Dalton demanded, in a voice of thunder, and utterly confounded by the girl’s independence. “It would make no difference to me whether _others_ despised him or not, if he was mentally my equal, and I considered him worthy of my affection,” was the brave, proud reply. “Even if disgraced as a felon, as Earle Wayne has been disgraced?” “Even if he had _innocently_ suffered disgrace, and expiated another’s crime, as Earle Wayne has done, and is doing,” she answered quietly; but the deep blue eyes were hidden beneath the white lids; two very bright spots had settled on her cheeks and her hands trembled nervously. It was cruel to wring her secret from her thus; but he was her father and she must bear it as patiently as she could. His next words, however, acted like an electric battery upon her. They were spoken hoarsely and menacingly: “Editha Dalton, you are a fool and I would see your whole life a wreck before I would see you wedded to _him_!” “Thank you, papa, for your flattering estimate of my mental faculties, and also for the tender, fraternal interest which you manifest in my future happiness; but if you please we will close the discussion here.” With uplifted hand, flashing eyes, and a haughty little bend of her slender body, she glided quietly from the room. “Pride in her port, defiance in her eye.” Sumner Dalton looked after her in amaze, and ground his teeth in baffled rage.