“I was thinking of ghosts, Fanny, but I wasn’t seeing one.” He lighted a cigar. “I must say that your tact sometimes leaves you at fatal moments. The Colonel was almost at the point of getting mad. He wanted to be jollied--and you did all you could to irritate him.” “I had a perfect right to say what I pleased to him. How do you suppose he came to walk into this adventuress’s trap? A girl of twenty-nine! The hunt will be up as soon as he makes the announcement and the whole town will join the pack.” “The town will have to stand it if we can.” “It’s the loss of his own dignity, it’s the affront to mother’s memory--this young thing with her pretty marcelled head! There are some things that ought to be sacred in this world, and father ought to remember what our mother was--how noble and beautiful!” “Well, we know it, Fanny; she’s our memory now--not his,” said Wayne gently; and upon this they were silent for a time, and Fanny wept softly. When Wayne spoke again it was in a different key. “Well, father has his nerve to be getting married right on the verge of a panic. Perhaps he is doing it merely to reassure the public, to steady the market, so to speak.” “But papa says there will be no panic. The _Star_ printed a long interview with him only yesterday. He says there must be a readjustment of values, that’s all; he must be right about it.” “Bless you, yes, Fanny. If father says there won’t be any panic, why, there won’t! What does John say?” “Well, John is always cautioning me about our expenses,” she admitted ruefully, so that he laughed at her. “But great heavens, Wayne!” she exclaimed. “Well, what’s the matter now?” “Why, he never told us a thing about her. Who do you suppose introduced him to her?”