— vases and jugs — and the story ends with 'So ungentlemanly and yet so beautiful.' It is all very difficult. Yes, I always connect those Florentine Emersons with violets.”

“Fiasco's done you this time,” remarked Freddy, not seeing that his sister's face was very red. She could not recover herself. Mr. Beebe saw it, and continued to divert the conversation.

“These particular Emersons consisted of a father and a son — the son a goodly, if not a good young man; not a fool, I fancy, but very immature — pessimism, et cetera. Our special joy was the father — such a sentimental darling, and people declared he had murdered his wife.”

In his normal state Mr. Beebe would never have repeated such gossip,