He was simply the average man of small intelligence, great vanity, and abject snobbishness or terror of public opinion.

There could be but one reason for the flight of Lorella's daughter--rottenness.

The only point to consider now was how to save the imperiled family standing, how to protect his own daughter, whom his good nature and his wife's weakness had thus endangered.

The one thing that could have appeased his hatred of Susan would have been her marriage to Sam Wright.

Then he would have--not, indeed, forgiven or reinstated her--but tolerated her.