"And if I do induce Lord Henry to remain in England,—what then?" the baronet demanded.
The widow sighed. "You'll be a public benefactor," she said; "a blessing to your race."
"I don't suppose there's much money, is there, in this trip to China?" he asked pompously. "And Lord Henry can't be a very rich man."
"He's very poor," replied Mrs. Delarayne.
Sir Joseph smiled knowingly and lay back amid the cushions with an air of perfect self-appreciation and confidence.
"There's only one thing that great wealth cannot do, it seems to me," he said, smiling and making every kind of grimace indicative of the immense difficulty he was experiencing in not laughing at what was passing through his mind.
Mrs. Delarayne dreaded the worst, but felt that not to press for enlightenment at this juncture would reveal an indifference which would prove unfavourable to her schemes. "And what is that?" she asked.
"It cannot change a woman's fancy, of course!" Sir Joseph ejaculated, and laughed very violently indeed. "'Ave you caught my meaning?" he added, as his hilarity subsided.
Mrs. Delarayne toyed with her book.
"Come, come, Edith!" he pursued. "If I get Lord Henry to remain in London, as I've no doubt I shall,—what then?" He ogled her roguishly.