"I'm sure I don't know! You seem to take a great interest in the Erringtons?"
Eustace flushed a little under the bronze colour of his skin, and moved uneasily in his seat.
"Do I? A mere whim, I assure you, to see if my prophecy about the incomplete Madonna turns out correct. But never mind, I'm going to call on Aunt Jelly this afternoon, and she'll give me more accurate information than you can. Have you met Aunt Jelly yet?"
"No! You forget I told you I have been away from England also," answered Otterburn stiffly.
"True! I forgot that, but you see my dear relations haven't written a word to me since I've been away, and I'm obliged to ask a stranger for information. Is Aunt Jelly's ward married yet?"
"No; she is still Miss Sheldon."
"You were rather fond of her, were you not?"
"So fond of her that I asked her to be my wife at Como, and she refused me."
"I guessed as much," replied Eustace calmly; "however, that was merely a boyish fancy."
"I beg your pardon. No!"