Mrs. Pelham Odin kissed the girl's forehead. "You behaved in a noble way, my dear. I hear that Lady Euphemia has quite taken to Charity, now that she knows her father was a Devonshire Durham. And Tod has got back his ruined castle to play the laird. He says, however, that he is coming back from Scotland to work again at the law."
"And quite right he is," said Gerald, sitting down. "I don't believe in any man being lazy. Lady Euphemia wants Tod to play the laird on his wife's money, but Tod has too much respect to live on his wife."
"I know you have," said Mavis, looking at him fondly. "You don't know how difficult it is to make him take money," she added, turning to the actress, "he will live on his own income, and works like a nigger."
"Not like Geary, if he is the nigger in question. My dear Mavis, this house is yours, and I----"
"You're going to say that you are a boarder. Stop!" And Mavis laid a pretty hand over his mouth. Gerald kissed it.
"You are both extremely silly," said Mrs. Pelham Odin, "share and share alike--money and love and sentiments and everything."
"Right," said Haskins playfully, "Mavis, darling, give me back that kiss."
"I came here," said Mrs. Pelham Odin, in her most dignified way, "to welcome you back from the Continent, so I must be attended to, and you did leave England after the trial without seeing me."
Gerald rose, and became serious. "I did so to save my wife from an attack of brain fever," he said gravely. "Think of what that trial meant to a girl who had never faced such a throng of people."
"Oh, Gerald, there was the Belver Theatre."