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 frankly that she had never heard any good of her cousin, but she hastened to add:

“He’s given my prejudice a nasty knock, though, in behaving so well to my young man. Gave him a billet as private sec. that enabled Alec to—you know. A man can’t be much of a wrong ’un who’ll stick to old pals when they have no claim on him.”

Leonie tried not to show surprise at the vernacular.

“He seemed very kind and considerate. I don’t think he can ever have done anything dishonorable,” she replied.

“Nobody ever accused him of that,” Sybil assented. “It was only that he was extravagant, and that my grandfather got tired of paying his debts. You see, he wasn’t the next heir, and—well, perhaps they were a little hard on him. I’m quite prepared to like him now.”

The conversation was interrupted by the entrance of a servant, who announced:

“Mrs. Talmage Eglinton.”

“A fellow countrywoman of yours. I wonder if you know her?” Sybil whispered, as a radiant vision in pale pink under a large “picture” hat sailed in, and was greeted with somewhat frigid politeness by Mrs. Sadgrove.