And that afternoon and evening she saw Bramber and Carteret Williams and Jimmy Carew and Gordon, and they were all most marvellously improved. Bramber was alert and bright, and began to show that he had some ambition in him, and, if he did not tell Penelope his exact mind about Plant, he did show some little appreciation of the American’s qualities. "Associating with him has done you good," said Pen. "I see it has. You lived far too much for yourself, Lord Bramber. I cannot endure selfishness." "I’m not selfish any more, I think," said Bramber. "I rather like Plant. He seems a man, take him all around. He is abrupt, perhaps, and brutal. I own I’ve found him trying, and he says things one finds it hard to forgive." "Yes, he told me," said Pen, delightedly. "Oh, he told me he said you ought to be beaten severely, and he said you took it very nicely. Did you?" Bramber bit his lip. "I did." "That’s right," said Pen. "Oh, I’m improving you all so much. You’ve no idea how much improved you are. Mr. Mytton said he’d make something out of you, Lord Bramber." "Did he really?" "Oh, yes. He said he made fair successes out of very much worse material. "He’s quite a dear," she sighed, when he was gone, but, before she could add that she might almost love him, Carew and Williams came in together. And before she could greet them, Gordon came, too. Williams eyed him with strange ferocity, for he was by nature a hater of Hebrews, and wanted to dust the floor with him. Pen, who was as quick as lightning, caught his glances and said to him, sweetly: "I think you would get on nicely with Mr. Gordon." And Williams blenched visibly. "Oh, I couldn’t leave Carew," he said. "I’m deep in art, very deep; I adore it. Carew has introduced me to several Academicians, and I have bought a box of paints. One Academician took me home with him and showed me his pictures. He doesn’t agree with Jimmy altogether, and he says Jimmy will alter his opinions presently. His idea is that when a man is an A.R.A., he is only beginning, you see. He also explained to me the attitude of the R.A. with regard to the Chantrey Bequest. He says that if they found a good picture not by an Academician, they would buy it, which is interesting, isn’t it? He was painting a picture called ’War,’ and wanted my opinion. I said I’d ask Jimmy, because I didn’t know anything about war except what I’d seen. I don’t know why he was chuffy about it. I find artists get chuffy and huffy very quick, and I don’t know what for. Do you think there will be war soon?" Penelope didn’t know, and said she wanted eternal peace and happiness for every one, and meant having it if it could be got by any legitimate influence. "War is horrible!" "It is," said Carew, who joined in just here, after getting away from Gordon, who told him to buy Hittites at 3-1/8. "War is horrid. Williams is always talking of it."