"I'm awfully sorry, old man," he said gloomily.
Adrian burst out laughing "But she's immense, your widow! The most refreshing thing I've seen for many a day. The way she clears the place of the cobwebs of convention! She's great. Isn't she, Doria?"
"I can quite understand Mr. Chayne finding her an uncomfortable charge."
"Thank you," said Jaffery, with rather unnecessary vehemence. "I knew you would be sympathetic." He dropped into a chair by her side. "You can't tell what an awful thing it is to be responsible for another human being."
"Heaps of people manage to get through with it—every husband and wife—every mother and father."
"Yes; but not many poor chaps who are neither father nor husband are responsible for another fellow's grown-up widow."
Doria smiled. "You must find her another husband."
"That's a great idea. Will you help me? Before I knew of Adrian's great good fortune, I wrote to Hilary—ho! ho! ho! But we must find somebody else."
"Has she any money?" asked Doria, who smiled but faintly at the jocular notion of a Liosha-bound Adrian.
"Prescott left her about a thousand a year. He was pretty well off, for a war-correspondent."