“What a deplorable situation,” she sobbed; “what a sacrifice for the sake of a miserable sum of money and social considerations! To think that such a tragedy should happen in our family. I’ve often read about such things in books, a girl being forced to marry a man she didn’t care about because of some financial disaster⁠—”

“You shouldn’t read such trash books,” pronounced Beryl.

“But now it’s really happening!” exclaimed the mother; “my own child’s life to be sacrificed by marriage to a man years older than herself, whom she doesn’t care in the least bit about, and all because⁠—”

“Look here,” interrupted Beryl, “I don’t seem to have made things clear. It isn’t me that he wants to marry. ‘Flappers’ don’t appeal to him, he told me so. Mature womanhood is his particular line, and it’s you that he’s infatuated about.”

“ Me! ”