the mother of Erebus also.

His doubt, whether the mother of such children was the right kind of
wife for him, had grown very serious indeed, when, as they drew near
Colet House, a slim, tall young man of an extreme elegance and
distinction came through the garden gate to meet them.

With a cry of "Uncle Maurice!" the crippled Erebus dashed to meet him
with the light bounds of an antelope. Captain Baster could hardly
believe his eyes; he knew the young man by sight, by name and by
repute. It was Sir Maurice Falconer, a man he longed to boast his
friend. With his aid a man might climb to the highest social peaks.

When Mrs. Dangerfield introduced him as her brother (he had never
dreamed it) he could not believe his good fortune. But why had he not
learned this splendid fact before? Why had he been kept in the dark?
He did not reflect that he had been so continuously busy making
confidences about himself, his possessions and his exploits to her that
he had given her the smallest opportunities of telling him anything
about herself.

But he was not one to lose a golden opportunity; he set about making up
for lost time with a will; and never had he so thoroughly demonstrated
his right to the name of Pallybaster. His friendliness was
overwhelming. Before the end of lunch he had invited Sir Maurice to
dine with him at his mess, to dine with him at two of his clubs, to
shoot with him, to ride a horse of his in the forthcoming regimental
steeplechases, to go with him on a yachting cruise in the Mediterranean.

All through the afternoon his friendliness grew and grew. He could not
bear that any one else should have a word with Sir Maurice. The Twins
were intolerable with their interruptions, their claims on their
uncle's attention. They disgusted Captain Baster: when he became their
stepfather, it would be his first task to see that they learned a
respectful silence in the presence of their elders.

He never gave a thought to his proposal; he sought no occasion to make
it. Captain Baster's love was of his life a thing apart, but his
social aspirations were the chief fact of his existence. Besides,
there was no haste; he knew that Mrs. Dangerfield was awaiting his
avowal with a passionate eagerness; any time would do for that. But he
must seize the fleeting hour and bind Sir Maurice to himself by the
bond of the warmest friendship.

Again and again he wondered how Sir Maurice could give his attention to
the i