Now Mrs. Busby did prick up her ears. "How do you know?" "There was a Mr. Lingard at dinner--a prosy old fellow, as tiresome as ever he could be; but he is English, and knows the Southwodes, and he told lots about them." "What?" "O I don't know!--a lot of stuff. About the business and the property, and how old Mr. Southwode left it all to this son; and he carries it on in some ridiculous way that I didn't understand; and the uncle tried to break the will, and there has been a world of trouble; but now Mr. Digby Southwode is coming back to New York." "When?" "O soon; any day. He may be here any day. And then, mamma--" "And was the will broken?" "No, I believe not. At any rate, Mr. Southwode, our Mr. Southwode, has it all. But he's absurd, mamma; he pays people, workmen, more than they ought to have; and he sells, or makes them sell, for less; less than the market price; and he gives away all his income. So Mr. Lingard says." "He will learn better," said Mrs. Busby. "Well, mamma, he's coming back; and what will you do?" "Welcome him," said her mother. "I always liked Mr. Southwode." "Yes, yes, but I mean, about Rotha. He will look her up, the first thing; and she will fly ecstatically to meet him--I remember their parting salute two years ago, and their _meeting_. I don't doubt, will be equally tender. Mamma, are you prepared to come down with something handsome in the way of wedding presents?" "Nonsense!" "It's _not_ nonsense!" said Antoinette vehemently. "It will be the absurd truth, before you know where you are; and papa, and you, and I, we shall all have the felicity of offering congratulations and holding receptions. If you don't prevent it, mamma! _Can't_ you prevent it? _Won't_ you prevent it? O mamma! won't you prevent it?" "Get up, Antoinette"--for the young lady had thrown herself down on the floor in her urgency, at her mother's feet. "Get up, and take off your things; you are extremely silly. I have no intention of letting them meet at all." "Mamma, how are you going to help it? He will find out where she is at school--he will go straight there, and then you may depend Rotha will snap her fingers at you. So will he; and to have two people snapping their fingers at us will just drive me wild."