“And Mr. Tancred? Does he do good too?”
“Oh yes, of course, whenever he has the chance. He is on the Stock Exchange!” There was no unconscious irony in the juxtaposition of the two statements.
“On the Stock Exchange!” repeated the hearer, thoughtfully.
“He was determined not to be dependent on Camilla—to have a profession—so he went on the Stock Exchange. I do not know that it suits him particularly well; but anyhow it gives him something to do.”
“I see,” after a short pause; “Mr. Tancred is away most of every day, then?”
“Yes. Why shouldn’t he be?”—rather quickly.
“Oh, no reason at all; I was only thinking how nice and sensible it was!”
After another pause, “Does he never go to race-meetings?”
“Never.”
It took Miss Ransome two or three moments to assimilate this last, to her, incredible piece of intelligence; then she put another question.