Under one of her dams, daughter of a Carolina judge, she had: _She had a streak of common, for she ate onions. If you have daughters, don’t plant the things in your garden!_ Another of her great Virginia ancestors was a preacher, noted for his zeal in proselyting; under him was: _Too religious—the reaction may come in your grandson, who is likely to be an infidel, Nature maintaining her balance in morals as in matter_. Now that I had come home from Germany it was evidently my Aunt’s intention that Eloise and I should marry. "Come, Eloise," said she, after our guests had left, and my grandfather had retired, "we will light Jack to bed in the old way." Eloise jumped up, slipping her arm into mine. Then she two-stepped with me up the hall, humming "A Hot Time In The Old Town To-night." Aunt Lucretia looked on, her stern face relaxed into a satisfied smile. I slipped my arm around Eloise’s slim waist, and, bending over, tried to kiss her cheek. But she drew back laughing, and Aunt Lucretia’s voice came sternly from behind. "Jack—Eloise!" We stopped instantly under the chandelier. Aunt Lucretia shut the heavy doors, and came up with all the sternness of a Roman lictor in her face. "Turn her loose, Jack. Listen, both of you: I had intended to inform you to-morrow finally, but this is as good a time as any." We stood silent before her. Eloise’s pretty mouth drooped in pretended humbleness. "You know how I love you both, and—well, how you respect each other. You know that I have planned and dreamed for you both, ever since I brought you together here. Now let me see. This is April—well, I am going to marry you to each other in the fall, and until I marry you off," she went on sternly, "I have only one rule—no hugging—no kissing. It is bad before marriage, and after you are married," she added with becoming stiffness, "you will not want to." "Don’t you think your conditions are awfully severe for engaged people?" asked Eloise demurely. "And I may seal it with a kiss surely, Aunt Lucretia," I said, "for once." "No, not for once. That silly performance has caused more trouble in the world than all the sins of Satan combined. We will never have a decent race of people till kissing is cut out," she exclaimed. "There, no more at present—march!" And she marched us into my room. "Isn’t this fine!" I said, looking around at the old room, glad to be home again. It was twenty by twenty, the pioneer size, with a great fireplace, built of oak and ash. In a corner was my old mahogany tester bed, big posted and canopy-topped. The little cherry writing desk stood near, and so did the quaint mahogany bureau, resting on dragon claws, with great drawers for a base, and ending pyramid-like in a top of granite finish, set off by a little mirror, and with a tiny shaving drawer for my razors. Big windows looked out on all sides.