"You will have to talk to him, Frederick," she said. "When he went away he said something about requesting an early interview. _I_ cannot stand any more of it. It upsets me too frightfully. Of course, you won't quarrel with him. Just give him politely to understand that it is out of the question. Fortunately, May appears to have been as much _outrée_ by this preposterous proposal as I could desire. May behaved very nicely to-night altogether. I was pleased with her." "H'm! Oh yes; but I thought she might have paid a little more attention to your uncle. She never went near him after we came upstairs. I think she talked to old Bragg more than to any one else." "Frederick," said his wife slowly, "do you know that Lady Hautenville is making a dead set at Mr. Bragg for Felicia?" "Is she?" "Yes. Mrs. Griffin told me all about it. They are moving heaven and earth to catch him." "Really? Well, _bonne chance_!" "It would be _mauvaise chance_ for him, poor man! Felicia has a frightful temper, and incredibly extravagant habits. She must be over her eyebrows in debt. But I fancy Mr. Bragg has better taste." Her meaning tone made her husband look at her with sudden earnestness. "What do you mean?" he asked brusquely. Mrs. Dormer-Smith put her hand to her forehead. "Let me entreat you not to raise your voice!" she said. "I have had quite enough to try my nerves this evening. I mean that I think Mr. Bragg is interested in May. It would be a splendid match for her." "_What?_" cried Frederick, disregarding his wife's request, and raising his voice considerably. "Old Bragg!" Pauline turned on him impressively. "Frederick," she said, speaking with patient mildness, as one imparting higher lore to some untutored savage, "Mr. Bragg is barely fifty-four; and his income--entirely within his own control--is over sixty thousand a year." CHAPTER XVI. Theodore did not take his rejection meekly. In his interview with Mr. Dormer-Smith he pressed hard to see May again, and insinuated that she was under undue influence. Moreover, he conveyed, with stiff civility, that he considered himself to have been badly treated by the whole family, who had first encouraged his attentions and then rejected them. "He really is a fearful young man!" said May to her aunt on hearing the report of the interview. "What does he mean by insisting on 'an answer from my own lips'? Could he not believe what Uncle Frederick said? Besides, he has had his answer from me. The truth is, he is so outrageously conceited that he can't believe any young woman would refuse him of her own free will." "The idea of his dreaming for an instant that _I_ encouraged him is too preposterous," said Mrs. Dormer-Smith, shaking her head languidly. "I am sadly disappointed. I thought him quite a nice person. I fancied he had sufficient _savoir vivre_ to understand----However, it is one more proof that one can never reckon on half-bred people who don't know the world."