A little silence fell on them. Sidney stood on the hearthrug, looking into the blazing fire in front of her. Then her uncle got up. "Have my chair," he said. "I'm off to the workshop for half an hour." He left the room. Sidney dropped into the big leather chair he had vacated, and drew a long sigh: "Well, dad dear?" The Admiral looked at her with a little whimsical smile. "Our fears have turned into certainty. Now we must buck up, and take it as happily as we can." "Does he expect to bring her here, and make us into one happy family?" "We can but give it a trial." "Oh, we can't—we can't!" Sidney's forced composure gave way. She almost wrung her hands. "Oh, dad dear, how shall we stand her? It's impossible! She must not be brought here. It's bad enough to have to ask her to dinner, but to live in the house with us is awful! Never to be able to get away from her! And it will mean misery to Uncle Ted. She does not really care for him; it must be to get a comfortable home and a position. Think how she has been going on with Austin! She was determined to get one of them, and she really cares for neither of them, or she could not have acted so! What can we do?" The Admiral leant back in his chair and half-shut his eyes. "If it is not pleasant, we can go away and leave her in possession." "But, dad dear, will it come to that? Is the house really not yours? Oh, why won't Uncle Ted go, and start a house of his own somewhere?" "He is quite willing to do so, but she is not. I have gathered that from his talk this afternoon. She will be the ruling spirit, I expect." The tears came to Sidney's eyes. She had been expecting—dreading this blow, yet now it had fallen she felt quite stunned and unprepared for it. "I know she has determined to turn us out." Then she stiffened in her chair. "Dad, you and I must not wait to give her a chance of doing it. We must go at once, before the wedding." Her father shook his head at her, with a sad little smile. "That would be unfair to Ted. He doesn't want us to go. I somehow think that even now there are times when his heart fails him, when he questions the wisdom of taking such a momentous step at his age. He begged me to stay, and let things be as they are." "But if Uncle Ted considers this his house, how can things remain the same? Don't you see that she will be mistress?" The Admiral looked quite startled. "I never thought of that. Well, Sidney, my child, we have each other, and I think we could find a snug little home somewhere else. Wouldn't you be content to live alone with your old father?" Sidney left her chair and went over to the Admiral. Getting down on the hearthrug by his side, she rested her head against his knee. It had been her favourite position as a little child, when she had felt a craving for companionship and solace.