"I am both well and older," said May cheerfully. "Think of my responsibilities! There's the baby! And then Alexander's been seedy. And we aren't as rich as we should like to be; you of all people must know that. And there's going to be an election and our seat's very shaky. So the cares of the world are on me." "Sandro's been doing well." "Splendidly, simply splendidly. It's impossible to doubt that he'll do great things if--if all goes well, and he doesn't make mistakes." "Seems like making mistakes, does he?" "Oh, no. I only said 'if.'" "And you're as happy as you expected to be?" "Quite, thanks." "I see. Just about," was Miss Quisante's next observation; since it was a little hard to answer, May smiled and rang the bell for tea. "You're very gay, I suppose?" asked the old lady. "Just as many parties as I can find gowns for," May declared. "Seen anything of the Benyons lately?" A little shadow came on May's face. "I hardly ever see Jimmy except at mother's," she answered. "Dick comes sometimes." She paused a moment, and then added, "I expect him this afternoon." "Is he still as devoted to Sandro?" "He believes in his abilities as enthusiastically as ever." The dry laugh which Miss Quisante gave was as significant as her "Just about," a few minutes before. This time May did not laugh, but looked gravely at Aunt Maria. "They've had a little difference on a political matter. Did you ever hear of what Dick calls the Crusade? His great Church movement, you know." "Lord, yes, my dear. Sandro once speechified to me about it for an hour." "Well, he doesn't speechify so much now; he doesn't believe in it so much, and Dick's annoyed. That's natural, I think, though perhaps it's a little silly of him. However, if you wait, he'll tell you about it himself." "Why doesn't Sandro believe in it so much?" "Perhaps I ought to have said that he doesn't think the present time a suitable one for pressing it." "I see," said Miss Quisante sipping her tea. May looked at her again and seemed about to speak, but in the end she only smiled. She was amused at the old lady's questions, impelled to speak plainly to her, and restrained only by the sense that any admission she might seem to make would be used to the full against her husband by his faithful and liberal aunt. "He says he has good reasons, and Dick Benyon says they're bad ones," she ended by explaining, though it was not much of an explanation after all. Miss Quisante had the curiosity to await Dick Benyon's coming, and, in spite of his evident expectation of a _tete-a-tete_, not to go immediately on his arrival. She was struck with the air of mingled affection and compassion with which he greeted his healthy, handsome, smiling young hostess. Moreover he was himself apologetic, as though suffering from a touch of remorse. He began to talk trifles, but May brought him to the point.