Hedrik Von Taer appeared for an hour this evening.  He quietly expressed his satisfaction at the complete arrangements of the Kermess, chatted a moment with his daughter, and then innocently marched over to the flower booth and made a liberal purchase from each of the three girls.  Evidently the old gentleman had no inkling of the incident of the previous evening, or that Diana was not still on good terms with the young ladies she had personally introduced to society.  His action amused many who noted it, and Louise blushing but thoroughly self-possessed, exchanged her greetings with Diana’s father and thanked him heartily for his purchase.  Mr. Von Taer stared stonily at Charlie Mershone, but did not speak to him.

Going out he met John Merrick, and the two men engaged in conversation most cordially.

“You did the trick all right, Von Taer,” said the little millionaire, “and I’m much obliged, as you may suppose.  You’re not ashamed of my three nieces, I take it?”

“Your nieces, Mr. Merrick, are very charming young women,” was the dignified reply.  “They will grace any station in life to which they may be called.”

When the evening’s entertainment came to an end Arthur Weldon took Louise home in his new brown limousine, leaving Patsy and her father, Uncle John and Beth to comfortably fill the Doyle motor car.  Now that the engagement of the young people had been announced and accepted by their friends, it seemed very natural for them to prefer their own society.

“What do you think of it, Uncle John, anyhow?” asked Patsy, as they rode home.  “It’s all right, dear,” he announced, with a sigh.  “I hate to see my girls take the matrimonial dive, but I guess they’ve got to come to it, sooner or later.”

“Later, for me,” laughed Patsy.

“As for young Weldon,” continued Mr. Merrick, reflectively, “he has some mighty good points, as I found out long ago.  Also he has some points that need filing down.  But I guess he’ll average up with most young men, and Louise seems to like him.  So let’s try to encourage ’em to be happy; eh, my dears?”

“Louise,” said Beth, slowly, “is no more perfect than Arthur.  They both have faults which time may eradicate, and as at present they are not disposed to be hypercritical they ought to get along nicely together.”

“If ’t was me,” said the Major, oracularly, “I’d never marry Weldon.”

“He won’t propose to you, Daddy dear,” returned Patsy, mischievously; “he prefers Louise.”

“I decided long ago,” said Uncle John, “that I’d never be allowed to pick out the husbands for my three girls.  Husbands are a matter of taste, I guess, and a girl ought to know what sort she wants.  If she don’t, and makes a mistake, that’s her look-out.  So you can all choose for yourselves, when the time comes, and I’ll stand by you, my dears, through thick and thin.  If the husband won’t play fair, you can always bet your Uncle John will.”  “Oh, we know, that,” said Patsy, simply; and Beth added:  “Of course, Uncle, dear.”