“My sister has curious ideas. She thinks that if a Gascoyne went into business he should have changed his name.”
“There are heaps of stockbrokers of first-rate family.”
“Oh, I don’t agree with her in the least. I think it’s all rot, and I should rather have liked to be taken up by Uncle Gascoyne, but once my sister gets an idea into her head you can’t move her.”
“Perhaps she may not care about entertaining me.”
“Oh, she’ll be civil.”
“I’ll go back if you like,” I said. “I shan’t be offended. You could not know who I was.”
He stood still and thought deeply.
“No,” he said, shortly, “come on, you’ll oblige me by doing so. It’s beastly rude of me to have hesitated. I like you, cousin Israel. You are quite different from anyone I have ever met.”
I laughed. “You forget. There is my point of view. Mr. Gascoyne may not at all like my having struck up an acquaintance with you.”
“Well, you can always say you didn’t know.”