"I imagine it's something else," Mordaunt replied.
"But what? Does he want to annoy us?"
"It's possible he thought he might do so. Are you annoyed?"
"I am certainly surprised."
"Oh, well," said Mordaunt; "perhaps he had another object. I don't know. He's rather inscrutable."
Mrs. Halliday got up. "I thought we could be frank, Lance. After all, our habit is to take Bernard's cleverness for granted. He has a bitter humor and the thing may only be an old man's caprice."
She went off and when soon afterwards the party began to break up Bernard gave Jim a cigar in the hall.
"I note that you and your young relations are already friends," he said. "Dick's a fine lad; he's generous and honest, although I doubt if he will go far. Evelyn, of course, has no rival in this neighborhood."
"That hardly needs stating," Jim replied.
Bernard twinkled and his glance rested on a beautiful painted vase. "Your taste is artistic; it looks as if you had an eye for color and line. In a sense, Evelyn is like this ornament. She's made of choice stuff; costly but fragile. Common clay stands rude jars best."