"She is due here the day after to-morrow," he said deliberately.

"Frank is as decisive as he is rash.

Well, it's a melancholy tit-for-tat." "What do you mean by tit-for-tat ?" cried his father angrily.
"Oh, I mean that--that we tried to hasten Julia's marriage--with the other fellow, and he is giving us one in return; and you will all agree that it's a pretty permanent one." The old soldier recovered himself, and was beside his wife in an instant.

He took her hand.

"Don't fret about it, wife," he said; "it's an ugly business, but we must put up with it.