"Can you explain it, Daisy?" her father asked, gravely and kindly drawing her up to his side. Daisy struggled with some thought.
"Papa," she said softly, "will mamma be satisfied to punish me and let it go so?"
"Let it go how?"
"Would she be satisfied with this punishment, I mean, and not make me say anything more about it?"
"I should not. I intend to know the whole. Can you explain it?"
"I think I can, papa," Daisy said, but with a troubled unwillingness, her father saw. He saw too that it was not the unwillingness of a troubled conscience.
"Dr. Sandford, if you are willing to take the trouble of stopping without the certainty of taking Daisy back with you, I have some hopes that the result may be satisfactory to all parties."
"Au revoir, then," said the doctor, and he strode off.
"Now, Daisy," said her father, still having his arms about her—"what is it?" Mrs. Randolph stood by the table and looked coldly down at the group. Daisy was under great difficulty; that was plain.
"Papa—I wish Ransom could tell you!"