“Oh! I say—”
“Mr Maurice Stair—quite eligible—five hundred a year—Assistant Native Commissioner, and not bad-looking.”
“Handsome, Mrs Valetta—”
“These are Hunloke and Dennison. They keep a shop and rob us shamefully. Mr Hunloke is an American lawyer by profession, but he finds that overcharging us for bully beef pays better than law, and gives him more time for picnics.”
“I could take action on those statements. They are scandalous and libellous.”
“As for Tommy Dennison—”
“Please don’t rob me of my good name, Mrs Valetta. It’s all I have left. I’m as eligible as Stair, anyway.”
“No, Tommy. You are a younger son—and you have a past. Every one says you have.”
“Yes, but it’s past.”
“This is our only real Earl—Lord Gerald Deshon—Irish, penniless, and raving mad. You are a great friend of Miss Saurin’s brother, aren’t you, Gerry?”