“Mr. Geraint knows his public, I’m sure.”

“I fancy he does.  He would be very amusing if he didn’t aim so persistently at going one better than someone else in his anecdotes.  People were talking at dinner about your having massacred the natives with dynamite—­you did, you know, Mr. Courtland.”

“Oh, yes; I have admitted so much long ago.  There was no help for it.”

“Well, of course everyone was laughing when papa told how the massacre came about, and this annoyed Mr. Geraint and induced him to tell a story about a poor woman who fancied that melinite was a sort of food for children that caused their portraits to appear in the advertisements; so she bought a tin of it and gave it all to her little boy at one meal.  It so happened, however, that he became restless during the night and fell out of his cradle.  That happened a year ago, Mr. Geraint said, and yet the street isn’t quite ready for traffic yet.”

“That little anecdote of Mr. Geraint makes me feel very meek.  If at any time I am tempted to think with pride upon my dynamite massacre, I shall remember Mr. Geraint’s story, and hang my head.”

“We were all amused at Mr. Geraint’s lively imagination, but much more so when Mr. Topham, the under-secretary, shook his head gravely, and said in his most dignified manner, that he thought the reported occurrence—­the melinite incident—­quite improbable.  He was going on to explain that the composition of the explosive differed so materially from that of the food that it would be almost impossible for any mother to take the one for the other, when our hostess rose.”

“Mr. Topham must have been disappointed.  As a demonstrator of the obvious he has probably no equal even among the under-secretaries.  You discussed him pretty freely in the drawing room afterward, I may venture to suggest.”

“No; we discussed you, Mr. Courtland.”

“A most unprofitable topic.  From what standpoint—­dynamite massacres?”

“From the standpoint of heredity, of course.  Can you imagine any topic being discussed in a drawing room, nowadays, from any other standpoint?  There was a dear old lady present, Mrs. Haddon, and she said she had been a friend of your mother’s.”

“So she was; I recollect her very well.  I should like to go see her.”

“She told us a great deal about your mother, and your sister—­a sister to whom you were greatly attached.”

Phyllis’ voice had become low and serious; every tone suggested sympathy.

“I had such a sister,” said he slowly.  His eyes were not turned toward her.  They were fixed upon a little model of St. Catherine of Siena,—­a virgin among the clouds,—­which was set in the panel of an old cabinet beside him.  “I had such a sister—­Rosamund; she is dead.”

“Mrs. Haddon told us so,” said Phyllis.  “She talked about your mother, and your sister, and of the influence which they had had upon your life—­your career.”