“Mary’s a dear,” said Becky stoutly.

“Yes,” Aunt Claudia agreed, “but not a wife for my son.  I had such hopes for him, Becky.  He could have married anybody.”

Becky knew the kind of woman that Aunt Claudia had wanted Truxton to marry—­one whose ancestors were like those whose portraits hung in the hall at Huntersfield—­a woman with a high-held head—­a woman whose family traditions paralleled those of the Bannisters and Beauforts.

“Then Fiddle is Truxton’s child.”

“And I am a grandmother, Becky.  Mrs. Flippin and I are grandmothers——­” She said it with a sort of bitter mirth.

“What did Grandfather say?”

“I left him—­raging.  It was—­very hard on me.  I had hoped—­he would make it easy.  He declares that Mary Flippin shan’t step inside of his front door.  That he is going to recall all the invitations that he had sent out for to-night.  I tried to show him that now that the thing is done—­we might as well—­accept it.  But he wouldn’t listen.  If he keeps it up like this, I don’t want Truxton to come back—­to lunch.  I had hoped that he might bring Mary with him——­ She’s his wife, Becky—­and I’ve got to love her——­”

“Aunt Claudia,” Becky came over and put her arms about the pitiful black figure, “you are the best sport—­ever——­”

“No, I’m not,” but Aunt Claudia kissed her, and for a moment they clung together; “you mustn’t make me cry, Becky.”

But she did cry a little, wiping her eyes with her black-bordered handkerchief, and saying all the time, “He’s my son, Becky.  I—­I can’t put him away from me——­”

“He loved her,” said Becky, with a catch of her breath.  “I—­I think that counts a great deal, Aunt Claudia.”

“Yes, it does.  And they did no wrong.  They were only foolish children.”

“If anyone was to blame,” she went on steadily, “it was Truxton.  He had been brought up a—­gentleman.  He knew what was expected of a man of his birth and breeding.  Secrecy is never honorable and I told him—­last night—­that I was sorry to be less proud of my son than of the men who had gone before him.”

“Did you tell him that?”

“Yes.  If pride of family means anything, Becky, it means holding on to the finest of your traditions.  If you break the rules—­you are a little less fine—­a little less worthy——­”

What a stern little thing she was.  Yet one felt the stimulus of her strength.  “Aunt Claudia,” said Becky, tremulously, “if I could only be as sure of things as yon are——­”

“What things?”

“Of right and wrong and all the rest of it.”

“I don’t know what you mean by all the rest.  But right is right, and wrong is wrong, my dear.  There is no half-way, in spite of all the sophistries with which people try to salve their consciences.”

She stopped, and plunged again into the discussion of her problem.  “I must telephone to Truxton—­he mustn’t come—­not until his grandfather asks him, Becky.”