“Possibly,” said the Doctor.  “That will develop later.  They will have to work that out for themselves.  I am rather sorry he is going to marry a girl with so much money but I suppose it cannot be helped.”

“Some people wouldn’t look at it that way, Doctor Holiday,” grinned the captain.  “But I am prepared to accept the fact that you Holidays are in a class by yourselves.  We have always been afraid that Elinor would be a victim of some miserable fortune hunter.  I can’t tell you what a relief it is to have her marry a man like your nephew.  I am only sorry he had to go through such a punishing period of suspense waiting for his happiness.  Since there wasn’t really the slightest obstacle I rather wish he had cut his scruples and married her long ago.”

“I don’t agreed with you, Captain Annersley..  They are neither of them worse off for waiting and being absolutely sure that this is what they both want.  If he had taken the risk and married her when he knew he hadn’t the full right to do it he would have been miserable and made her more so.  Larry is an odd chap.  There is a morbid streak in him.  He wouldn’t have forgiven himself if he had done it.  And losing his own self-respect would have been the worst thing that could have happened to him.  No amount of actual legality could have made up for starting out on a spiritually illegal basis.  We Holidays have to keep on moderately good terms with ourselves to be happy,” he added with a quiet smile.

“I suppose you are right,” admitted the Englishman.  “Anyway the thing is straight and clear now.  He has earned every bit of happiness that is coming to him and I hope it is going to be a great deal.  My own sense of indebtness for all you Holidays have done for Ruth is enormous.  I wish there were some way of making adequate returns for it all.  But it is too big to be repaid.  I may be able to keep an eye on your other nephew when he gets over.  I certainly should like to.  I don’t know when I’ve taken such a fancy to a lad.  My word he is a ripping sort.”

“Ted?” Doctor Holiday smiled a little.  “Well, yes, I suppose he is what you Britishers call ripping.  It has been rather ripping in another sense being his guardian sometimes.”

“I judge so by his own account of himself.  Yoxi mustn’t let that smash of his worry you.  He’ll find something over there that will be worth a hundred times what any college can give him, and as for the rest half the lads of mettle in the world come to earth with a jolt over a girl sooner or later and they don’t all rise up out of the dust as clean as he did by, a long shot.”

“So he told you about that affair?  You must have gotten under his skin rather surprisingly Ted doesn’t talk much about himself and I fancy he hasn’t talked about that thing at all to any one.  It went deep.”

“I know.  He shows that in a hundred ways.  But it hasn’t crushed him or made him reckless.  It simply steadied him and I infer he needed some steadying.”