"He will think what he pleases, my child," broke in her mother; "so do not flatter yourself that he will be affected by your opinion of him. We will not discuss him, if you please. We have come to an understanding on certain matters, and that is all that is necessary to tell you about our interview. He will go his own way and we will go ours. There need be no conflict between us." Viola frowned dubiously. "It is all very well for you to take that attitude, mother. But I am not in the same position. He is my half-brother. It is going to be very awkward. He is nothing to you,--and people will understand if you ignore him,--but it--it isn't quite the same with me. Can't you see?" "Certainly," admitted Mrs. Gwyn without hesitation. "You and he have a perfect right to be friendly. It would not be right for me to stand between you if you decide to--" "But I do not want to be friendly with him," cried the girl, adding, with a toss of her head,--"and I guess he realizes it by this time. But people know that we had the same father. They will think it strange if--if we have nothing to do with each other. Oh, it's terribly upsetting, isn't it?" "What did he say to you out there?" "He was abominable! Officious, sarcastic, insolent,--" "In plain words, he gave you a good talking to," interrupted Mrs. Gwyn, rather grimly. "He said some things I can never forgive." "About you and Barry?" "Well,--not so much about me and Barry as about the way I--Oh, you needn't smile, mother. He isn't going to make any fuss about Barry. He told me in plain words that he did not care whether I married him or not,--or ran away with him, for that matter. You will not get much support from him, let me tell you. And now I have something I want to say to you. We may as well have it out now as any other time. I am going to marry Barry Lapelle." There was a ring of defiance in her voice. Rachel Gwyn looked at her steadily for a moment before responding to this out-and-out challenge. "I think it would be only fair of you," she began, levelly, "to tell Mr. Lapelle just what he may expect in case he marries you. Tell him for me that you will never receive a penny or an inch of land when I die. I shall cut you off completely. Tell him that. It may make some difference in his calculations." Viola flared. "You have no right to insinuate that he wants to marry me for your money or your lands. He wants me for myself,--he wants me because he loves me."