“Mr. Grimshaw is a gentleman. Nothing else matters.”
“His grandfather, I am told, was a China merchant, whatever that may mean. As for ‘gentleman,’ I am inclined to think my dear father defined the now odious word properly.”
“What was his definition?”
“He contended that the word had nothing to do with moral attributes. A ‘gentleman,’ in his opinion, was a man neither directly nor indirectly connected with trade.”
Cicely opened her lips, and then closed them. She could score heavily by asking whether the son of an ironmaster could, under this definition, be termed a gentleman. But she reflected that her mother would retort that the ironmaster had been created a peer of the realm. Lady Selina went on blandly:
“Your grandfather once ‘turned down,’ as you put it, a clever young man who applied to him for the post of private secretary. He presented himself at dinner in a made-up tie.”
“Heavens!”
“I think my father was quite right. A gentleman never offends in small matters. I deplore the fact that your friend Arabella pronounces G-I-R-L ‘gurl.’ How do you pronounce it?”
Cicely smiled.
“It depends upon whom I’m talking to, Mums. I shouldn’t say ‘gurl’ before you. I suppose you’d have a fit if I asked for a ‘serviette’ instead of a ‘napkin’?”