"Tracy, 'tis of this that I wanted to speak! You think my lord left his money to Dick?" "Certainly. He should be stupendously wealthy." "He is not!" "But, my good girl, the revenue must be enormous. He has the land, surely?" "No! No! He has not the land! Oh, but I am angry whenever I think on it! He induced my lord to leave it to John. _He_ has but his younger son's portion!" "I still fail to understand. You informed me that the Earl left all to Richard?" "He changed his will, Tracy!" "He--changed--his--will! Then, my dear, must you have played your cards very badly!" "'Twas not my fault, Tracy--indeed 'twas not! I knew nought until the will was read. Richard never spoke a word to me about it! And now we are comparatively poor!" Her voice trembled with indignation, but his Grace only whistled beneath his breath. "I always knew, of course, that Dick was a fool, but I never guessed how much so till now!" At that she flared up. "He is not a fool! He is an honest man, and 'tis we_--we_, I tell you--who are mean and despicable and mercenary!" "Undoubtedly, Lavinia, but pray do not excite yourself over it. I suppose he is still devoted to that young hothead?" "Yes, yes--'tis all Jack, Jack, Jack, until I am sick to death of the sound of his name--and--" She broke off, biting her lip. "And what?" "Oh, nought! But 'tis all so disagreeable, Tracy!" "It certainly is slightly disturbing. You had better have chosen John, in spite of all, it seems." She stamped angrily. "Oh, where's the good in being flippant?" "My dear Lavinia, where's the good in being anything else? The situation strikes me as rather amusing. To think of the worthy Richard so neatly overturning all my plans!" "If it had not been for you, I might never have married him. Why did you throw them both in my way? Why did I ever set eyes on either?" "It should have been a good match, my dear, and, if I remember rightly, no one was more alive to that fact than yourself." She pouted angrily and turned her shoulder to him. "Still," he continued reflectively, "I admit that for the smart lot we are, we do seem rather to have bungled the affair." Lavinia swept round upon him. "Oh, do you care no more than that? How can you be so casual! Does it affect you not at all?" He wrinkled his thin nose expressively. "I shall not weep over it, Lavinia, but 'tis a plaguey nuisance. But we must see what can be done. And that brings me back to the original subject. Despite these upsetting revelations, I still require that money." "Oh, dear! How much must you have, Tracy?" "Five hundred might suffice." "Tracy, do not the estates bring in anything?" she asked petulantly. "And Andrew told us you had a run of marvellous luck not a fortnight since?" "Since then, my dear, I have had three runs of marvellous ill-luck. As to the estates, they are mortgaged up to the hilt, as you very well know. What little there is is between three. And Robert is extravagant." "I hate Robert!"