"But what has this to do with the matter? What has happened has happened, and there's an end of it. The question is, what ought to be done now? I don't see that we can treat Miss Doran like a child." Mrs. Lessingham looked at him. She was resting one arm on a table by which she sat, and supporting her forehead with her hand. "You propose that things should take their natural course?" "They will, whether I propose it or not." "And if our next information is that they desire to be married as soon as conveniently may be?" "That is another matter. They will have no consent of mine to anything of the kind." "You relieve me." Mallard looked at her frowningly. "Miss Doran," he continued, "will not marry Elgar with my consent until she be one-and-twenty. Then, of course, she may do as she likes." "You will see Mr. Elgar, and make this clear to him?" "Very clear indeed," was the grim reply. "As for any thing else, why, what can we do? If they insist upon it, I suppose they must see each other--of course, under reasonable restrictions. You cannot make yourself a duenna of melodrama, Mrs. Lessingham." "Scarcely. But I think our stay at Naples may reasonably be shortened--unless, of course, Mr. Elgar leaves." "You take it for granted, I see, that Miss Doran will be guided by our judgment," said Mallard, after musing on the last remark. "I have no fear of that," replied Mrs. Lessingham with confidence, "if it is made to appear only a question of postponement. This will be a trifle compared with my task of yesterday morning. You can scarcely imagine how astonished she was at the first hint of opposition." "I can imagine it very well," said the other, in his throat. "What else could be expected after--" He checked himself on the point of saying something that would have revealed his opinion of Mrs. Lessingham's "system"--his opinion accentuated by unreasoning bitterness. "From all we know of her," were the words he substituted. "She is more like her father than I had supposed," said Mrs. Lessingham, meditatively. Mallard stood up. "You will let her know that I have been here?" "Certainly." "She has expressed no wish to see me?" "None. I had better report to her simply that you have no objection to Mr. Elgar's visits." "That is all I would say at present. I shall see Elgar tonight. He is still at Casa Rolandi, I take it?" "That was the address on his letter." "Then, good-night. By-the-bye, I had better give you my address." He wrote it on a leaf in his pocket-book. "I will see you again in a day or two, when things have begun to clear up." "It's too bad that you should have this trouble, Mr. Mallard." "I don't pretend to like it, but there's no help." And he left Mrs. Lessingham to make her comment on his candour.