“But have you no little bill with your friend, no little sum Angelo ignores?”
“How cunning you are, Mr Bromley! However, it don’t amount to a very large figure.”
“By the way, is not Madame Mélanie a friend of Madame Carron’s? I see them driving together.”
“Yes; I believe they knew each other in Hungary. There, again, Madame Carron is deeply in debt to her.”
“But I thought she made such enormous sums. Does she owe more than you, Mrs Magens?”
“Oh, my liability is not more than what you would call a ‘pony,’ Mr Bromley.”
“But how does Madame Carron manage to contract debts?”
“She is obliged to dress expensively for her parts, and she is very charitable, especially to some worthless relative who absorbs all her income.”
“A husband?”
“No, a brother, I believe; although Mélanie is so charming a person it is horrible to be under an obligation to her.”