"Does it not?"
And here the Duchess stared hard, first at Mrs. Verulam, then at Chloe, and then again at Mrs. Verulam who sweetly smiled.
"I don't know."
"I should have thought you did," said the Duchess beginning to bring up her heavy artillery.
"Why?"
The orchestrion was preparing for the "Intermezzo." The Duchess was preparing for conflict, rendered reckless by the self-conscious gardeners, the cutlet and the swoon. If she was to be wrongly suspected of levity, she would at least take it out of this wicked little person whom she had known as a toddler.
"Let me give you a piece of advice," she began, with sonorous subtlety.
"With pleasure."
"Get rid of Mr. Van Adam. I speak as a true friend."
And her Grace, purple with true friendship as the furniture on which she sat, made a really successful double chin, and paused for a reply.