"She is the daughter of an old recluse called Ferdinand Paynton."
"A recluse! Humph! That's strange."
"Why so? You would not say so if you saw the old man. He is an invalid and lives in his library. A charming companion, though I must say he is rather sad."
"Where does he live?"
"At Thorston, half a mile from the Manor House. Not very rich, I should think. His cottage is small, like his income."
"And his daughter lives with him?"
"Yes. A pretty girl she is, who inherits his literary tastes. It is my impression that she wrote the most part of that novel. From all I know of Frank Linton he is given more to poetry than to prose. Jenny has the brain, not Frank."
"Ho, ho!" said Claude, smiling. "Is it the skeptical misogynistic Tait I hear speaking?"
"Himself. I admit that I do not care for women, as a rule, but there are exceptions to every rule, and in this case Jenny Paynton is the exception."
"Is she in love with our author?"