“Never mind,” said Sadie, hurrying her along. After a pause she went on, “You know the Priory very well, I guess?”
“I lived there when I was a little girl, with my aunt, the Dowager Lady Beverdale,” said Miss Amelyn. “When my cousin Fred, who was the young heir, died, and the present Lord Beverdale succeeded,—HE never expected it, you know, for there were two lives, his two elder brothers, besides poor Fred's, between, but they both died,—we went to live in the Dower House.”
“The Dower House?” repeated Sadie.
“Yes, Lady Beverdale's separate property.”
“But I thought all this property—the Priory—came into the family through HER.”
“It did—this was the Amelyns' place; but the oldest son or nearest male heir always succeeds to the property and title.”
“Do you mean to say that the present Lord Beverdale turned that old lady out?”
Miss Amelyn looked shocked. “I mean to say,” she said gravely, “Lady Beverdale would have had to go when her own son became of age, had he lived.” She paused, and then said timidly, “Isn't it that way in America?”
“Dear no!” Miss Desborough had a faint recollection that there was something in the Constitution or the Declaration of Independence against primogeniture. “No! the men haven't it ALL their own way THERE—not much!”
Miss Amelyn looked as if she did not care to discuss this problem. After a few moments Sadie continued, “You and Lord Algernon are pretty old friends, I guess?”