"There, you old conservative, I've heard all his good points, and my duty has been written before me in letters of fire. Dad devoted three hours to writing it this morning, so don't, please, say over any of the moral maxims I'm likely to have heard." "But why are you unwilling?" "Because--because I'm wild, I fancy--just because I don't like the idea of marrying that man. He's such a big, funny, round head, and positively no neck--his head just rolls around on his big, pillowy shoulders--and then he gets little right at once, tapers right off to a point with those tiny feet." "It isn't easy to have everything." "It wouldn't be easy to have him, either." Mrs. Van Geist fixed her niece with a sudden look of suspicion. "Has--has that man anything to do with your refusal?" "No--not a thing--I give you my word, auntie. If he had been what I once dreamed he was no one would be asking me to marry him now, but--do you know what I've decided? Why, that he is a joke--that's all--just a joke. You needn't think of him, Mutterchen--I don't, except to think it was funny that he should have impressed me so--he's simply a joke." "I could have told you as much long ago." "Tell me something now. Suppose Fred marries that Wybert woman." "It will be a sorry day for Fred." "Of course! Now see how I'm pinned. Dad and the mater both say the same now--they're more severe than I was. Only we were never in such straits for money. It must be had. So this is the gist of it: I ought to marry Rulon Shepler in order to save Fred from a marriage that might get us into all sorts of scandal." "Well?" "Well, I would do a lot for Fred. He has faults, but he's always been good to me." "And so?" "And so it's a question whether he marries a very certain kind of woman or whether I marry a very different kind of man." "How do you feel?" "For one thing Fred sha'n't get into that kind of muss if I can save him from it." "Then you'll marry Shepler?" "I'm still uncertain about Mr. Shepler." "But you say--" "Yes, I know, but I've reasons for being uncertain. If I told you you'd say they're like the most of a woman's reasons, mere fond, foolish hopes, so I won't tell you." "Well, dear, work it out by your lonely if you must. I believe you'll do what's best for everybody in the end. And I am glad that your father and Margaret take your view of that woman." "I was sure she wasn't right--and I knew Mr. Bines was too much of a man to speak of her as he did without positive knowledge. Now please give me some tea and funny little cakes; I'm famished." "Speaking of Mr. Bines," said Mrs. Van Geist, when the tea had been brought by Sandon, "I read in the paper this morning that he'd taken a party to North Carolina for the quail shooting, Eddie Arledge and his wife and that Mr. and Mrs. Garmer, and of course Florence Akemit. Should you have thought she'd marry so soon after her divorce? They say Bishop Doolittle is frightfully vexed with her."