“Just the sort of people for Italy. The fashionables of what the Chinese call 'second chop' go down admirably at Rome or Naples.”
“Very pleasant places they are, too,” said Jekyl, with a smile. “The climate permits everything, even dubious intimacies.”
Haggerstone gave a short “Ha!” at the heresy of this speech, but made no other comment on it.
“They say that Miss Onslow will have about a hundred thousand pounds?” said Haggerstone, with an air of inquiry.
“What a deal of maccaroni and parmesan that sum would buy!”
“Would you have her marry an Italian, sir?”
“Perhaps not, if she were to consult me on the matter,” said Jekyl, blandly; “but as this is, to say the least, not very probable, I may own that I like the mixed marriages well enough.”
“They make miserable menages, sir,” broke in Haggerstone.
“But excessively agreeable houses to visit at.”
“The Onslows are scarcely the people to succeed in that way,” rejoined Haggerstone, whose thoughts seemed to revolve round this family without any power to wander from the theme. “Mere money, nothing but money to guide them.”