“Why either?”
“Oh, because one must be friendly somewhere. It would be awful to have no friends at all, men or women.”
“How many friends would you need for happiness?”
“As many as I could get. You see, when you’re poor you can’t expect to have many.”
“And when you’re rich you have less.”
“No, indeed. I’m sure you have heaps of friends, Mr. Barringcourt.”
He laughed in a harsh, dry sort of way.
“You flatter me. In reality, I have no more friends than you.”
“But Lady Flamington?—Why, Mariana says she is in love with you.”
Mr. Barringcourt bit his lip; but the smile debarred access there travelled to his eyes.