"So the paper was a failure?" said Walford, when the excitement of the entrance had subsided. "Oh, well, you will be able to get something to do here, I dare say, before long. What do you think of the house? Not so bad, eh?" "Not bad at all," said Kent--"very pretty! That was awful news, sir! I was infernally sorry to hear about it. Might have been worse, though --a good deal." "Ups and downs," said the jobber; "we'll get square at the finish. Grin and bear it, Louisa, old girl! You'll always have enough to eat." Mrs. Walford laughed constrainedly. She did not relish allusion to their reverses; it appeared to her insult added to injury. "I don't think we've either of us much cause to grieve," she answered. "We're very comfortable here, don't you think so, Humphrey? There are such nice people in the neighbourhood, Cynthia--people who move in the best society, and--hee, hee, hee!--we are making quite a fashionable circle; we are out almost every night. Well, I don't hear much about Paris? Did you have a jolly time?" "We went everywhere and saw everything," said Cynthia. "Humphrey got no end of tickets, and--well, yes, Paris is lovely!" "Why 'well, yes'?" "Well, of course, the paper's stopping was an anxiety to us, mamma. Naturally. How's Aunt Emily?" "Emily writes us once a week, acknowledging the receipt of her allowance. How she is I really can't tell you; she says very little more than that she has 'received the money.' She's living in apartments in Brunswick Square, and I believe she is very glad she is alone. _I_ am, I can tell you! She has become very sour, Emily has." "Apartments in Brunswick Square aren't so remarkably cheap," said Kent. "Aunt Emily must be expensive, mater?" "Well, she has--er--one room. It's a nice large room, I understand, and quite enough for one person, I'm sure! There was no occasion for her to take a suite, she isn't going to give any parties." "No occasion whatever. A bedroom can be very cosy when the lamp's lighted and there's a bottle of wine on the table, can't it, Cynthia?" "She won't have any bottles of wine. What are you thinking of?" said Mrs. Walford. "Not but what she could afford wine," she added hastily; "but it doesn't agree with her; it never did! I suppose you know that Cæsar is still in Germany? He has settled there. If there are moments when I feel out of it in spite of the company we see at Strawberry Hill, it's when I read of the life that boy leads in Berlin. He is in a brilliant circle--most brilliant!" "Cynthia told me he had a first-rate thing." "Capital thing!" affirmed Sam briskly. "I tell you, he's going to the top of the tree. When he's my age Cæsar will be a big figure in Europe." Kent thought he was a fair size already, but replied briefly that he had been "very fortunate."