“Was Thomas Temple here this afternoon?” he asked when they were all seated.
“Yes,” said Imogene promptly.
“Imogene is setting her cap for him,” said James.
“You should not tease your sister, James,” said his mother. “It is perfectly natural that Tom should be polite to your sister. He is in her own social rank, and will possess a fine fortune. What do you say, Mr. Davenport?”
“That the intimacy had better cease,” said the lawyer.
“Really, I can’t understand your reasons,” said Mrs. Davenport.
“What is the matter with Tom?” demanded Imogene.
“I have heard some news about him this afternoon,” said the lawyer, “which influences me in what I have said.”
“We shouldn’t be too hard upon his boyish scrapes,” said Mrs. Davenport charitably. “Boys will be boys.”
“It isn’t any boyish scrape.”