"But haven't you heard that he is the poorest man in the House of Lords?"
"I had no idea of it," cried May. "How should I have known? Really? He is so poor?"
"I imagine he has barely enough to live upon. The family was ruined long ago."
"But why didn't you tell me? Does my aunt know?" May's voice did not express resentment, nor, indeed, strong feeling of any kind. The revelation seemed merely to surprise her. She was smiling, as if at the amusingly unexpected.
"Lady Ogram certainly knows," said Mrs. Toplady.
"Then of course that's why he does nothing," May exclaimed. "Fancy!" Her provincialism was becoming very marked. "A lord with hardly enough to live upon! But I'm astonished that he seems so cheerful."
"Lord Dymchurch has a very philosophical mind," said the older lady, with gravity humorously exaggerated.
"Yes, I suppose he has. Now I shall understand him better. I'm glad he's going to be at Rivenoak. You know that he asked me to advise him about what he should do. It'll be rather awkward, though. I must get him to tell me the truth."
"You'll probably have no difficulty in that. It's pretty certain that he thinks you know all about him already. If he hadn't, I feel sure he wouldn't go to Rivenoak."
The girl mused, smiling self-consciously.