"Well then a smaller one must do," said Grace calmly; "but she must know everybody, heaps of people and all that—she must be in the swim you know."
"But I do not know," said Lady Lyons. "In the swim! What do you mean? I have not the faintest idea."
"Oh, Paul will know."
(It had already come to this: she called him Paul! Lady Lyons was extremely displeased.)
"My son, whom you call 'Paul,'" she said, stiffly, "what can he do? He is but young."
"Oh, he knows the world a little though he is young; of course I call him Paul."
"He does know the world," said the irritated mother, "I hope he knows the world too well to be a victim to any one who is not ... in a position I should like."
"You are quite wrong, dear Lady Lyons; being a man of the world, and knowing the world a little, are two very different things, and no one can call Paul a man, he is so very young; that was what I said to him only the other day. And about a position you would like, you mean your son must marry for money. Now, I have too good an opinion of Paul to believe it—and no one worth his salt will choose only to please his mother."
"I am so unaccustomed to hear such ... unfeminine sentiments," and the irate Lady Lyons rose to go.
"It is very good for every one to hear several sides to any question," said Grace, rising also; "I hope I have not offended you, Lady Lyons; but you know I am one of the people who never can help speaking the truth upon all occasions—more especially when it suits me," she added to herself.