“No, no.  You’re all mixed up.  That wasn’t Angmering.”

“Well, you have such funny friends, darling.  Tell me, then.”

“Angmering never ran away with anybody except himself.  He went to America and before he left I lent him a hundred pounds.”

“Arthur, I’ll swear you never told me that at the time.  In fact you always said positively you wouldn’t lend money to anybody.  You promised me.  I hope he’s paid you back.”

“He hasn’t.  And I’ve just heard he’s dead.”

“I felt that was coming.  Yes.  I knew from the moment you began to talk that it was something of that kind.  And just when we could do with that hundred pounds—­heaven knows!  Oh, Arthur!”

“He’s dead,” said Mr. Prohack clinchingly, “but he’s left me ten thousand a year.  Ha, ha!—­Ha, ha!” He put his hand on her soft shoulder and gave a triumphant wink.

* * * * *

III

“Dollars, naturally,” said Mrs. Prohack, after listening to various romantic details.

“No, pounds.”

“And do you believe it?  Are you sure this man Bishop isn’t up to some game?  You know anybody can get the better of you, sweetest.”

“Yes,” said Mr. Prohack.  “I know I’m the greatest and sweetest imbecile that the Almighty ever created.  But I believe it.”

“But why should he leave you all this money?  It doesn’t stand to reason.”

“It doesn’t.  But you see the poor fellow had to leave it to some one.  And he’d no time to think.  I expect he just did the first thing that came into his head and was glad to get it over.  I daresay he rather enjoyed doing it, even if he was in great pain, which I don’t think he was.”

“And who do you say the woman is that’s got as much as you have?”

“I don’t say because I don’t know.”

“I guarantee she hadn’t lent him a hundred pounds,” said Mrs. Prohack with finality.  “And you can talk as long as you like about real property in Cincinnati—­what is real property?  Isn’t all property real?—­I shall begin to believe in the fortune the day you give me a pearl necklace worth a thousand pounds.  And not before.”

“Lady,” replied Mr. Prohack, “then I will never give you a pearl necklace.”

Mrs. Prohack laughed.

“I know that,” she said.

After a long meditative pause which her husband did not interrupt, she murmured:  “So I suppose we shall be what you call rich?”

“Some people will undoubtedly call us rich.  Others won’t.”

“You know we shan’t be any happier,” she warned him.

“No,” Mr. Prohack agreed.  “It’s a great trial, besides being a great bore.  But we must stick it.”

“I shan’t be any different.  So you mustn’t expect it.”

“I never have expected it.”

“I wonder what the children will say.  Now, Arthur, don’t go and tell them at dinner while the maid’s there.  I think I’ll fetch them up now.”