“A woman is as old as she looks,” said Cheriton, “as Byron says.”
“Byron?”
“I ascribe every truism to Byron. It confers a factitious importance, which at the same time is perfectly safe. Everybody pretends to have read Byron, yet nobody has.”
“Burden has read him, I believe.”
Miss Burden sighed romantically.
Lord Cheriton shook his finger at Miss Burden with arch solemnity.
“No boy under the age of twenty should be permitted to smoke cigarettes,” said he. “And no woman under forty should be permitted to read Byron.”
Caroline Crewkerne snorted.
“By the way,” said Cheriton, “now I am here, I must pay homage to my duchess.”
He took a half turn in the direction of the sofa. Miss Perry was still seated upon it in her pensive attitude. She was still gazing into vacancy, and she was somewhat in the shadow.