“Well, that will save us all a lot of trouble, McKellar,” said Mr. Cord, and presently left his gloomy gardener. He had attained his object. When he went back into the house, Eddie had gone, and he could go back to his new driver in peace. He was not interrupted until ten minutes past one, when Crystal came into the room, her eyes shining with exactly the same color that, beyond the lawn, the sea was displaying. Unlike Eddie, she looked better than in her fancy dress. She had on flat tennis shoes, a cotton blouse and a duck skirt, and a russet-colored sweater. Miss Cox would have rejected every item of her costume except the row of pearls, which just showed at her throat. She kissed her father rapidly, and said: “Good morning, dear. Are you ready for breakfast—lunch I mean?” She was a little bit flustered for the reason that it seemed to her as if any one would be able to see that she was an entirely different Crystal from the one of the evening before, and she was not quite sure what she was going to answer when her father said, as she felt certain he must say at any moment, “My dear child, what has come over you?” He did not say this, however. He held out his golf-club and said, “Got a new driver.” “Yes, yes, dear, very nice,” said Crystal. “But I want to have lunch punctually, to-day.” Mr. Cord sighed. Crystal wasn’t always very sympathetic. “I’m ready,” he said, “only Eddie’s coming.” “_Eddie!_” exclaimed Crystal, drawing her shoulders up, as if at the sight of a cobra in her path. “Why is Eddie coming to lunch? I did not ask him.” “No, my dear, I took that liberty,” replied her father. “It seemed the only way of getting rid of him.” “Well, I sha’n’t wait for him,” said Crystal, ringing the bell. “I have an engagement at a quarter past two.” “At the golf club?” asked her father, his eye lighting a little. “You might drive me out, you know.” “No, dear; quite in the other direction—with a man who was at the party last night.” “You enjoyed the party?” “No, not a bit.” “But you stayed till morning.” “I stopped and took a swim.” “You enjoyed that, I suppose?” His daughter glanced at him and turned crimson; but she did not have to answer, for at that moment Tomes came, in response to her ring, and she said: “We won’t wait lunch for Mr. Verriman, Tomes.” Then, as he went away, she asked, “And what was Eddie doing here this morning, anyhow?” “He was scolding me,” replied Mr. Cord. “Have you noticed, Crystal, what a lot of scolding is going on in the world at present? I believe that that is why no one is getting any work done—everyone is so busy scolding everybody else. The politicians are scolding, and the newspapers are scolding, and most of the fellows I know are scolding. I believe I’ve got hold of a great truth—” “And may I ask what Eddie was scolding about?” asked Crystal, no more interested in great truths than most of us. “About you.”