"I will tell you something quite frankly," I said. "I love you very much; you have always been kind to me." "I am your godmother, don't forget." "A great trouble has come to us." "A great trouble, my dear, what do you mean?" "Mother thinks it a fearful trouble, and I suppose it is, but anyhow there are two ways of taking it. There is the sinking-down way, which means getting small and poor and thin, anaemic, in short, and there is the bold way, the sort of way when you stand up to a thing, you know what I mean." "You are talking school-boy language. My grandson Ralph would understand you; he is here; do you want to see him? I am a little too busy for riddles, Westenra." "Oh! I do beg your pardon. I know I am taking a great liberty: no one else would come to you at so early an hour." "Well, speak, my dear." "We have lost our money." "Lost your money!" cried the Duchess. "Yes; everything, or nearly everything. It was through some bad investments, and mother was not at all to blame. But we have nothing left, or nearly nothing--I mean we have a hundred and fifty a-year, about the price of one of your dresses." "Don't be personal, Westenra--proceed." "Mother wants to live in a cottage in the country." "I do not see how she could possibly do it," said the Duchess. "A cottage in the country! Why, on that pittance she could scarcely afford a workman's cottage, but I will speak to my friends; something must be arranged immediately. Your dear, lovely, fragile mother! We must get her a suite of apartments at Hampton Court. Oh! my poor child, this is terrible." "But we do not choose to consider it terrible," I replied, "nor will we be beholden to the charity of our friends. Now, here is the gist of the matter. I have urged mother to take a house in Bloomsbury." "Bloomsbury?" said the Duchess a little vaguely. "Oh, please Duchess, you must know. Bloomsbury is a very nice, healthy part of the town. There are big Squares and big houses; the British Museum is there--now, you know." "Oh, of course, that dreary pile, and you would live close to it. But why, why? Is it a very cheap neighbourhood?" "By no means; but city men find it convenient, and women who work for their living like it also, and country folks who come to town for a short time find it a good centre. So we mean to go there, and--and make money. We will take our furniture and make the house attractive and--and take paying guests. We will keep a boarding-house. Now you know." I stood up. There was a wild excited feeling all over me. The most daring flight of imagination could never associate the gracious Duchess of Wilmot with a lodging-house keeper, and mother had always hitherto been the Duchess's equal. I had never before felt _distrait_ or nervous in the Duchess's presence, but now I knew that there was a gulf between us--that I stood on one side of the gulf and the Duchess on the other. I stretched out my hands imploringly.