"My dear!" the Countess protested. "Rose has managed his own affairs since he was eighteen. His fortune is his own concern, and it would be mightily ill-bred of him to trouble the ladies of his family with the buying and selling of horses and dogs." The servant entered with a long taper and began to light the candles. Miss Chressham answered with restraint. "You have no head for business, Aunt Agatha." The Countess of Lyndwood was standing by the mantelshelf. As the sconces either side were lit her delicate shoulders and pale lovely face were reflected in the dark depths of the mirror. "No," she admitted; "after all, one can manage without it. I could never see it as a reproach, Susannah," she added. Miss Chressham looked at her. "Not if one is as pretty as you are," she answered, and smiled half sadly. "Oh, fie, my dear! You must not flatter an old woman." The Countess sank easily into a brocaded chair and her pearl-coloured satin dress gleamed in the candle-light. The lace over her faint blonde hair and over her shoulder seemed pearl-coloured too. She folded her silks away into a blue and silver bead-bag and when the servant had left the room she spoke again. "You are so sensible, Susannah," she remarked in a tone of gentle helplessness; "such a comfort to me, my dear." She sighed, and rested her cheek on her long white fingers. "Rose is heedless, and I really know so little of what he does in London. Of course, I hear things"--she paused, and added placidly--"which, of course, are also no business of mine. But I do wish"--she gave Susannah an appealing look--"that he would come down and look after the place, and I wish he would marry." "I dare swear he will do both," answered Miss Chressham cheerfully; "nay, it would be vastly strange if he did not." The room was very pleasantly full of candle-light; it sparkled in the folds of Miss Chressham's red silk gown as she moved close to the Countess's chair; through the still open window terrace, trees and sky showed luminous and purple. "I have heard the names of several ladies," remarked the Countess, "mentioned by Rose and other people, but not one he could or would marry." "Why, when he meets her he will not speak of it," smiled Susannah. Lady Lyndwood sighed. "Well, I wish he would come. Marius will want to see him about his fortune." "Is it in Rose's hands?" asked Miss Chressham, a faint look of surprise on her fair face. "Ah--yes," the Countess spoke vaguely, "all the money went to Rose; but Marius has something when he comes of age, which was last October. I am sorry he should have been abroad, and now, I suppose, he will want to leave us again." "I suppose so," assented Susannah absently. "Nothing else is to be expected," returned Lady Lyndwood. "Rose cannot ask Marius to look after the estate, and really it is very dull here. I think we must all go to town this season." Susannah was silent. The Countess continued her gentle disconnected talk.