“Of course, yes: I was forgetting your fortune. Who are your trustees?”
“Well, one is my uncle Griffin—Aunt Almeria’s husband, you know—but he doesn’t signify, because he does just what Aunt tells him. The other is my father’s lawyer, and he doesn’t signify either.”
“For the same reason?”
“I don’t know, but I shouldn’t wonder at it in the least. Everyone is afraid of Aunt Almeria. Even I am, a little. That’s why I ran away.”
“Is she unkind to you?”
“N-no. At least, she doesn’t ill-treat me, but she is the kind of woman who always gets her own way. Do you know?”
“I know,” Sir Richard said.
“She talks,” explained Pen. “And when she is displeased with one, I must say that it is very uncomfortable. But one should always be just, and I do not blame her for being so set on my marrying Fred. They are not very rich, you see, and of course Aunt would like Fred to have all my fortune. In fact, I am very sorry to be so disobliging, particularly as I have lived with the Griffins for nearly five years. But, to tell you the truth, I didn’t in the least want to, and as for marrying Fred, I could not! Only when I suggested to Aunt Almeria that I would much prefer to give my fortune to Fred, and not marry him, she flew into a passion, and said I was heartless and shameless, and cried, and talked about nourishing vipers in her bosom. I thought that was unjust of her, because it was a very handsome offer, don’t you agree?”
“Very,” said Sir Richard. “But perhaps a trifle—shall we say, crude?”
“Oh!” Pen digested this. “You mean that she did not like my not pretending that Fred was in love with me?”