"
I don't see that the remark was so very terrible, but he looked at me with
an odd air of astonishment and consternation. Then he seemed to consider
it best to treat my natural disappointment as a joke.
"Not very serious is this conversation, as you have reminded me," he said.
"You don't wish me to tell that which is not?"
"Why, naturally--no." I was stunned, but I forced a laugh. "But it
_is_ funny. Why--I was nearer landing the prize than I supposed,
wasn't I?--that is, if I had wanted to land it?"
"Um--yes; it was rather close. But in this world you'll find strong men
often dissuading weak ones from action briefly meditated."
He gazed at me solemnly, portentously, critically.
"Yes," I said, trying to speak with careless ease; "one Lord gone, but
there are others. Don't be too hard upon Strathay, though. He's not so
bad. His estates are not heavily encumbered, and he's as likely now to wed
a music hall singer as a daughter of the Beerage. Perhaps such a marriage
as he might have offered is not the best in life, but it is something that
women who love their daughters as well as you love yours are glad to
arrange for them.
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