O'Hara, watching them, saw with content that his capricious little wife was really attracted to my lord. It was a high honour, for she was hard to please, and many of O'Hara's acquaintances had been received, if not with actual coldness, at least not with any degree of warmth.
At the end of the meal she withdrew with the warning that they were not to sit too long over their wine, and that Miles was not to fatigue his lordship.
O'Hara pushed the decanter towards his friend.
"I've a piece of news I daresay will interest ye!" he remarked.
"Ay. 'Tis that his Grace of Andover has withdrawn his precious person to Paris."
"I suppose he would naturally wish to remain in the background after our little fracas."
"Does he ever wish to be in the background?"
"You probably know him better than I do. Does he?"
"He does not. 'Tis always in front he is, mighty prominent. Damn him!"
"Why that? Has he ever interfered with you?"
"He has interfered with me best friend to some purpose."
"Well, I know something of how he interferes with Dick."
Carstares put down his glass, all attention now.
"'Tis nothing of great moment. Merely that he and that worthless brother of his seek to squeeze him dry."
"Well, he's grown up now, and as rakish a young spendthrift as ye could wish for. Dick seems to pay their debts."
"Heaven knows! I suppose Lavinia insists. We all knew that 'twas for that reason Tracy flung you both in her way."
"Nonsense! We went of our own accord. She had but returned from school."
"Exactly. And whose doing was that but Tracy's?"
Carstares opened his eyes rather wide and leant both arms on the table, crooking his fingers round the stem of his wine glass.
"I can't tell ye that. 'Twas but by chance I found it out at all. The Belmanoirs were never moderate in their manner of living."
"Nor were any of us. Don't be so hard on them, Miles!... I knew, of course, that the Belmanoir estate was mortgaged, but I did not guess to what extent."
"I don't know that either, but Dick's money does not go to pay it off. 'Tis all frittered away on gambling and pretty women."
"Ye-s. I think I shall have a little score to settle with Tracy on that subject--some day."
"But how does Dick manage without touching my money?"