"But the dinky little things will come out of the eggs all right," she said to Alice, a week after that young lady had made the acquaintance of Montrose. "He's a nice boy and any one can see he's head over heels in love with you, my dear. But I wish you would dress in colours, Alice. It looks so silly for an engaged girl to go about in black." "I am not engaged yet," replied Miss Enistor doubtfully, "and I never may be, Amy. My father has to be consulted." "My dear," said Mrs. Barrast impressively, "he'll jump at the chance of getting the money back into the family." "There is Don Pablo, who wants to marry me," ventured Alice anxiously. "And there's Julian also," retorted the little woman. "What of that? Why, I had dozens of offers before I met Frederick, though why I took him I really don't know. Of course, as you told me this Don What's-his-name is rich and if Douglas--you don't mind my calling him Douglas, do you, dear?--was poor, I shouldn't advise you to throw the old thing over. But youth and good looks and money and all those nice things are better than an old man. And I am glad after all that you did not accept Julian," ended Mrs. Barrast candidly. "He isn't rich either, and life's horrid without money. Besides, I wish Julian to marry a rich girl." "If he loves her." "Pooh, what has love to do with marriage? What old-fashioned ideas you have, Alice. I suppose you wouldn't marry Douglas if you didn't love him." "Certainly not," said the girl firmly. Mrs. Barrast made a grimace. "It's lucky you like him then, my dear. Of course it's not right to marry for money only," added the butterfly, contradicting herself boldly, "but when you meet a man with a banking account try and love him as hard as ever you can." "I love Douglas for himself alone. If he was a pauper I should love him." "I daresay you would. I'm sure there is madness in your family. It's a mercy Douglas is well off. Five thousand a year is very nice. Be sure you make him take a house near ours, dear, and get a smart motor-car with one of those nice chauffeurs who look like engineers but aren't. They're lots cleaner than engineers, aren't they? And do wear a blue dress, dear: blue suits you." "No! no! I am still in mourning for my aunt." "I'm sure you needn't be. I wouldn't mourn for a horrid, lean, old thing--she was lean, you know--who didn't leave me a penny." "She left my father one thousand pounds, Amy." "Just enough to make him hate her. I'm sure I would if I'd been treated in that nasty way. And do make Douglas take you out more. I'll come too as your chaperon, though perhaps I'm too young for the part." "I go out quite enough, Amy. With my aunt in her grave----" "Oh, don't talk about graves," cried Mrs. Barrast, rising in a hurry, "you set my nerves on edge, if nerves ever do have an edge, which I'm sure I don't know if they have. Not that it matters of course. Has Douglas proposed?" "No. But we understand one another."