“I should have thought it was the reverse;—­indeed, I may say that I know that it is,” said Phineas.

“I am not talking of years.  Years have very little to do with the comparative ages of men and women.  A woman at forty is quite old, whereas a man at forty is young.”  Phineas, remembering that he had put down Mr. Kennedy’s age as forty in his own mind, frowned when he heard this, and walked about the room in displeasure.  “And therefore,” continued Lady Laura, “I talk to you as though I were a kind of grandmother.”

“You shall be my great-grandmother if you will only be kind enough to me to say what you really think.”

“You must not then be so impetuous, and you must be a little more careful to be civil to persons to whom you may not take any particular fancy.  Now Mr. Kennedy is a man who may be very useful to you.”

“I do not want Mr. Kennedy to be of use to me.”

“That is what I call being impetuous,—­being young,—­being a boy.  Why should not Mr. Kennedy be of use to you as well as any one else?  You do not mean to conquer the world all by yourself.”

“No;—­but there is something mean to me in the expressed idea that I should make use of any man,—­and more especially of a man whom I don’t like.”

“And why do you not like him, Mr. Finn?”

“Because he is one of my Dr. Fells.”

“You don’t like him simply because he does not talk much.  That may be a good reason why you should not make of him an intimate companion,—­because you like talkative people; but it should be no ground for dislike.”

Phineas paused for a moment before he answered her, thinking whether or not it would be well to ask her some question which might produce from her a truth which he would not like to hear.  Then he did ask it.  “And do you like him?” he said.

She too paused, but only for a second.  “Yes,—­I think I may say that I do like him.”

“No more than that?”

“Certainly no more than that;—­but that I think is a great deal.”

“I wonder what you would say if any one asked you whether you liked me,” said Phineas, looking away from her through the window.

“Just the same;—­but without the doubt, if the person who questioned me had any right to ask the question.  There are not above one or two who could have such a right.”

“And I was wrong, of course, to ask it about Mr. Kennedy,” said Phineas, looking out into the Square.

“I did not say so.”

“But I see you think it.”

“You see nothing of the kind.  I was quite willing to be asked the question by you, and quite willing to answer it.  Mr. Kennedy is a man of great wealth.”

“What can that have to do with it?”

“Wait a moment, you impetuous Irish boy, and hear me out.”  Phineas liked being called an impetuous Irish boy, and came close to her, sitting where he could look up into her face; and there came a smile upon his own, and he was very handsome.  “I say that he is a man of great wealth,” continued Lady Laura; “and as wealth gives influence, he is of great use,—­politically,—­to the party to which he belongs.”