ith the bad manners of
a certain type of society woman, looked on with a slightly impertinent
air of amused superiority, until she encountered my father's masterful
eyes, which nobody in the world could withstand.

After a moment my father addressed himself to me.

"Well, gel," he said, taking me by the shoulders, as he did in Rome,
"you must have cut a dash in Egypt, I guess. Made the money fly, didn't
you? No matter! My gold was as good as anybody else's, and I didn't
grudge it. You'll clear me of that, anyway."

Then there was some general talk about our travels, about affairs on the
island (Mr. Curphy saying, with a laugh and a glance in my direction,
that things were going so well with my father that if all his schemes
matured he would have no need to wait for a descendant to become the
"uncrowned King of Ellan"), and finally about Martin Conrad, whose great
exploits had become known even in his native country.

"Extraordinary! Extraordinary!" said my father. "I wouldn't have
believed it of him. I wouldn't really. Just a neighbour lad without a
penny at him. And now the world's trusting him with fifty thousand
pounds, they're telling me!"

"Well, many are called but few are chosen," said Mr. Curphy with another
laugh.

After that, and some broken conversation, Aunt Bridget expressed a
desire to see the house, as the evening was closing in and they must
soon be going back.

Lady Margaret thereupon took her, followed by the rest of us, over the
principal rooms of the Castle; and it was interesting to see the awe
with which she looked upon everything--her voice dropping to a whisper
in the dining-room. I remember, as if the scene of carousing of the old
roysterers had been a sort of sanctuary.

My father, less impressed, saw nothing but a house in bad repair, and
turning to my husband, who had been obviously ill at ease, he said:

"Go on like this much longer, son-in-law, and you'll be charging
two-pence a head to look at your ruins. Guess I must send my architect
over to see what he can do for you."

Then taking me aside he made his loud voice as low as he could and said:

"What's this your Aunt Bridget tells me? Nine months married and no
sign yet? Tut, tut! That won't do, gel, that won't do."

I tried to tell him not to spend money on the Castle if he intended to
do so in expectation of an heir, but my heart was in my mouth and what I
really said I do not know. I only know that my father looked at me