“Well, I can answer for myself,” said Grosville after a pause.  “This happened three months ago.  I never have told, and never shall tell, all the details as she told them to us.  But we have let enough be known—­”

“Enough?—­enough to damn Madame d’Estrees?”

“Oh, well, as far as the women were concerned, she was mostly that already.  There are other tales going about.  I expect you know them.”

“No, I don’t know them,” said Ashe.

Lord Grosville’s face expressed surprise.  “Well, this finished it,” he said.

“Poor child!” said Ashe, slowly, putting down his cigarette and turning a thoughtful look on the carpet.

“Alice?” said Lord Grosville.

“No.”

“Oh! you mean Kitty?  Yes, I had forgotten her for the moment.  Yes, poor child.”

There was silence a moment, then Lord Grosville inquired: 

“What do you think of her?”

“I?” said Ashe, with a laugh.  “I don’t know.  She’s obviously very pretty—­”

“And a handful!” said Lord Grosville.

“Oh, quite plainly a handful,” said Ashe, rather absently.  Then the memory of Kitty’s entry recurred to them both, and they laughed.

“Not much shyness left in that young woman—­eh?” said the old man.  “She tells my girls such stories of her French doings—­my wife’s had to stop it.  She seems to have had all sorts of love-affairs already.  And, of course, she’ll have any number over here—­sure to.  Some unscrupulous fellow’ll get hold of her, for naturally the right sort won’t marry her.  I don’t know what we can do.  Adelina offered to take her altogether.  But that woman wouldn’t hear of it.  She wrote Lina rather a good letter—­on her dignity—­and that kind of thing.  We gave her an opening, and, by Jove! she took it.”

“And meanwhile Lady Kitty has no dealings with her step-sister?”

“You heard what she said.  Extraordinary girl! to let the thing out plump like that.  Just like the blood.  They say anything that comes into their heads.  If we had known that Alice was to be with the Sowerbys this week-end, my wife would certainly have put Kitty off.  It would be uncommonly awkward if they were to meet—­here for instance.  Hullo!  Is it getting late?”

For the whist-players at the end of the library had pushed back their chairs, and men were strolling back from the billiard-room.

“I am afraid Lady Kitty understands there is something wrong with her mother’s position,” said Ashe, as they rose.

“I dare say.  Brought up in Paris, you see,” said the white-haired Englishman, with a shrug.  “Of course, she knows everything she shouldn’t.”

“Brought up in a convent, please,” said Ashe, smiling.  “And I thought the French girl was the most innocent and ignorant thing alive.”

Lord Grosville received the remark with derision.

“You ask my wife what she thinks about French convents.  She knows—­she’s had lots of Catholic relations.  She’ll tell you tales.”