The two great plaits of black hair showed no silver threads. The luminous black eyes were still bright. The sinewy form the dancer was full of exquisite grace.
"Now tell me about yourself," demanded madame, as they sipped their final coffee, and the maid retired.
"I don't think there's anything to tell," said Jim, with his open boyish smile.
"We have lived all our lives at Carne--Jack and I--until we went to Harrow, and then he went to Woolwich and I came to London."
"Jack is your brother?"
"Yes; we're twins. He's the clever one. That's why he's at Chatham now--in the Engineers. It was all I could do to scramble into the Hussars." And he laughed reminiscently at the scramble, and then told her about it.
"And which of you is the elder? Even in twins one of you must come first."
"That's funny now. Lord Deseret was asking me that the first time we met, and I couldn't tell him. We've really never troubled about it, you see, or thought about it at all until a very short time ago. I suppose it was the fellows at school wanting to know which was the elder that set us thinking about it. We asked old Mrs. Lee--she keeps house for us at Carne, you know--and Mr. Eager----"
"Who is Mr. Eager?"
"Oh, he's a splendid fellow. He's curate at Wyvveloe, and he's done everything for us, he and Gracie "--and madame noted the softened inflection as he said the word.