"Dr. Bude is by no means the man his father was. The age is degenerate. And so"--said Old Miss--"Sylvie Maine has taken the prize right from under your hand." "Oh!" said Hagar. The corners of her lips rose; her look that had been rather still and brooding broke into sunshine. "If you call it that!--I hope that Ralph and Sylvie will be very happy." "They will probably be extraordinarily happy. She is not one of your new women. I detest," said Old Miss grimly, "your new women." Silence. Hagar lay back against the pillows and she looked more and more to Old Miss like Maria. Old Miss's needles clicked. "When may I see grandfather?" asked Hagar, and she kept her voice friendly and quiet. "He is sleeping now. When he wakes up, if he asks for you you may go in. I wouldn't stay long.--And what have you been doing this winter?" "Various things, grandmother. Thomasine and I have been working pretty hard. Thomasine sent her regards to every one at Gilead Balm." "If you hadn't thrown away Medway's million dollars you wouldn't have had to work," said Old Miss. "Maria was perfectly spendthrift, and of course you take after her.--What kind of work do you mean you have been doing?" "I have been writing, of course. And then other work connected with movements in which I am interested." Old Miss's needles clicked again! "Unsexing women and unsettling the minds of working-people. I saw a piece in a paper. Preposterous! But it's just what Maria would have liked to have done." Silence again; then Hagar leaned across and took up her grandmother's work. "What is it? An afghan? It's lovely soft wool." "When," asked Old Miss, "are you going to marry--and whom?" "I do not know, grandmother, that I am going to marry, or whom." "You should have married Ralph.... All these years have you had any other offers?" "Yes, grandmother." "While you were with Medway?" "Yes, grandmother." "Have you had any since you set up in this remarkable way for yourself?" Hagar laughed. "No, grandmother--unless you except Ralph." "Ha!" said Old Miss in grim triumph; "I knew you wouldn't!" Miss Serena came to the door. "Father's awake and he wants to see Hagar." But when Hagar went down and into the big room and up to the great bed, the Colonel declared her to be Maria, grew excited, and said that she shouldn't keep his grandchild from him. "I tell you, woman, Medway and I are going to use authority! The child's Medway's--Medway's next of kin by every law in the land! He can take her from you, and, by God! he shall do it!" "Father," said Miss Serena, "this is Hagar, grown up."