The earl and Howard Murpoint were alone in a corner.
"A great crush," said the earl, stroking his white mustache. "The young people seem to be enjoying themselves, which brings me to the remark that you ought to be classed with the juveniles, Mr. Murpoint."
And he looked at the capitalist with a cold smile.
"I am not very old, certainly," said Howard Murpoint. "Some would call me very young."
"For so successful a man," put in the earl, with another smile.
The successful man bowed.
"I have had my fair share of fortune," said Howard Murpoint, "but perhaps, like Sempronius, I have done more than deserve success—worked for it. That reminds me, my lord, that you have not yet made up your mind to join us in the new Penwain mines."
He glanced at the earl as he spoke, then looked away to the ballroom with a careless air.
"Eh—hem!" said the earl, "you wish my name to appear on the list of directors."