"Nothing but what is just," softly answered her parent. The little dukes and princes faded away as a dream fades.
"Grandpa ..." she began.
"Child, it is all settled. The hatchet is buried in frozen ground. Your father consents to your marriage with Mr. Carrington. It has been a heated argument, but he has come around to my way of thinking. 'All's right with the world,' as Browning says. Bless you, my children, bless you!" with tender irony.
"And now, my papers," said Carrington, smiling up at the girl reassuringly.
"And you still wish to marry me?" asked the girl, her face burning and her eyes moist.
"I'd marry you if your grandpa was Beelzebub himself!"
"Here's your papers, young man," said grandpa. He passed the envelope across the table.
"What's this?" cried Carrington.
"It means, my boy," said grandpa, "that blood is thicker than water, and that I really intended no harm to Henry. And then, besides, I like to win when all the odds are against me."
Carrington gently turned the envelope upside down. Nothing but burnt paper fluttered upon the table.