She answered this with a maddening, little, sneering laugh, and went on: “Look at the Fosdicks--and the Bellinghams--and the Ashforths. More money than we have.” “Yes--and they’re received.” But his tone was not all it might have been. “You know the difference,” said she, in open contempt of his flimsy evasion. “They’re _in_ but not _of_. We’re both in and of. And why?... Why?” she repeated fiercely. “Why are we in and of, in spite of the enemies you’ve made--in spite of the shady things you’ve done--in spite of----” “Now, see here, Lucy--I’ve not complained of your way of managing your side of the family affairs. You’ve done very well.” This was said patronizingly, but with a mildness that, issuing from Daniel Richmond, made it sound almost like a whimper. “And since I got the Earl of Broadstairs away from Sally Peyton and married him to Rhoda we’ve been right in the front rank. There aren’t but two big families that still hold out.” “The Vanderkief marriage might have got them,” said Richmond. “If Beatrice starts up as a dressmaker--with those two servants----” “But--what can _I_ do?” he interrupted violently. “She’s insane--insane!” “It’s you that are insane, Dan,” cried his wife. “You knew the girl. You knew you’d made her hard to manage. Why did you goad her?” “I suppose you’d have let her marry that painter fellow,” sneered the husband. “Anything but such a scandal as this,” declared she. “And it’s got to be stopped!” Richmond shrugged his shoulders. “I offered to drop the Vanderkief marriage. I offered to take her back. I begged her to come back.” “But you didn’t tell her she could marry Wade.” “Yes, I did!” confessed he. “Yes--I did even that.” Mrs. Richmond frankly showed her incredulity; and that there might be no doubt, she said: “I don’t believe it.” “Do you think I’ve got no sense? I saw what the scandal would mean. Besides--” Richmond did not give his other reason. He was too ashamed of his weakness of love for the girl to expose it. By this time Mrs. Richmond had recovered. “And is that _all_ you’ve done?” “All?” he cried. “_All?_ What else could I do?” “Get her the man.” “Get her the man?” repeated he, as if trying in vain to understand. “She doesn’t trust you--and you can’t be surprised at that. You’ve got to get her the man. You’ve mismanaged this thing from the start. You’ve driven her on and on until now there’s only the one chance left.” Richmond did not contradict this, even mentally. He said presently: “But I’ve talked with him and he won’t have her.” Again Mrs. Richmond was taken by surprise--so much so that she said: “What did you say?” Richmond showed his wild internal commotion. With glittering eyes and teeth suggesting that they were about to gnash he all but hissed: “Are you getting deaf? I said I had talked with him, and he won’t have her. I can’t make the man marry her--can I?”