"Never; he was an orphan shortly after. I have often reproached
myself, but it is so difficult to see boys."
This simple yet first-class conversation existed in the morning-
room of Plusham, where the mistress of the palatial mansion sat
involved in the sacred privacy of a circle of her married
daughters. One dexterously applied golden knitting-needles to the
fabrication of a purse of floss silk of the rarest texture, which
none who knew the almost fabulous wealth of the Duke would believe
was ever destined to hold in its silken meshes a less sum than
L1,000,000; another adorned a slipper exclusively with seed pearls;
a third emblazoned a page with rare pigments and the finest quality
of gold leaf. Beautiful forms leaned over frames glowing with
embroidery, and beautiful frames leaned over forms inlaid with
mother-of-pearl. Others, more remote, occasionally burst into
melody as they tried the passages of a new and exclusive air given
to them in MS. by some titled and devoted friend, for the private
use of the aristocracy alone, and absolutely prohibited for
publication.
The Duchess, herself the superlative of beauty, wealth, and
position, was married to the highest noble in the Three Kingdoms.
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