They all looked at him. "Who?" said ten voices together.
"Why, her father was Frothingham--Paul Frothingham, the inventor. Her
husband was Colonel John Burgoyne;--you all know the name. He was quite
a big man, too--a diplomat. Their wedding was one of those big
Washington affairs. A few years later Burgoyne had an accident, and he
was an invalid for about six years after that--until his death, in
fact. She traveled with him everywhere."
"Sidney Frothingham!" said Mrs. Carew. "I remember Emily Holly used to
have letters from her. She was presented at the English court when she
was quite young, I remember, and she used to visit at the White House,
too. So THAT'S who she is!"
"I remember the child's visit here perfectly," Mrs. Apostleman said,
"tall, lanky girl with very charming manners. Her husband was at St.
Petersburg for a while; then in London--was it? You ought to know,
Clara, me dear--I'm not sure--Even after his accident they went on some
sort of diplomatic mission to Madrid, or Stockholm, or somewhere,
remember it perfectly."
"Colonel Burgoyne must have had money," said Mrs. White, tentatively.
"Some, I think," Barry answered; "but it was her father who was rich,
of course--"
"Certainly!" approved Mrs. Apostleman, fanning herself majestically.
"Rich as Croesus; multi-millionaire."
"Heavens alive!" said Mrs. Lloyd unaffectedly.
"Yes," Willard White eyed the tip of a cigar thoughtfully, "yes, I
remember he worked his own patents; had his own factories. Paul
Frothingham must have left something in the neighborhood of--well, two
or three millions--"
"Two or three!" echoed Mrs. Apostleman in regal scorn. "Make it eight!"
"Eight!" said Mrs. Brown faintly.
"Well, that would be about my estimate," Barry agreed.
"He was a big man, Frothingham," Dr. Brown said reflectively. "Well,
well, ladies, here's a chance for Santa Paloma to put her best foot
forward."
"What WON'T she do to the Hall!" Mrs. Adams remarked; Mrs. Carew sighed.
"It--it rather staggers one to think of trying to entertain a woman
worth eight millions, doesn't it?" said she.
CHAPTER V
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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