Her father, astonished by her unexpected vehemence, put up his eyeglass and studied the child's appearance.

Three days later, by her mother's permission, Marcella was taken to the hairdresser at Marswell by Mademoiselle Renier, returned in all the glories of a "fringe," and, in acknowledgment thereof, wrote her mother a letter which for the first time had something else than formal news in it.
Meanwhile new destinies were preparing for her.

For a variety of small reasons Mr.Boyce, who had never yet troubled himself about the matter from a distance, was not, upon personal inspection, very favourably struck with his daughter's surroundings.

His wife remarked shortly, when he complained to her, that Marcella seemed to her as well off as the daughter of persons of their means could expect to be.

But Mr.Boyce stuck to his point.