s. Faulkner tried to adapt herself to the spirit of this luncheon.
There was not much shyness about Jack Ward, and in a very few minutes
Mrs. Faulkner was fairly beaming upon him. She found out that she knew
his cousins, and Jack, who would say anything to please any lady,
declared that he had often heard of her. As he asked me afterwards
what her name was, I had to tell him that he was a regular humbug, but
he said that he was sure that she was the kind of lady who liked to
think she was never forgotten, and it was a pity to miss a harmless
chance of making her feel pleased.

At first I think Jack made her almost too pleased, and later on there
was rather a distinct reaction. She was not content with discovering
his cousins, but also found out that his father was what she called a
most generous benefactor. "The sort of man who does so much good
quietly, so unlike those noisy, discomforting people who will give
something if somebody will give something else. Charity ought not to
be limited by conditions," I heard her say.

"I don't think my father exactly throws his money about," Jack said.

"I am sure he doesn't," Mrs. Faulkner agreed readily.

"I mean that if he gives a lot away he expects to make a lot besides.
He is a business man, you see," Jack returned.

"Business men are the backbone of England," Mrs. Faulkner said at once.

"But they aren't heroes or anybody of that kind," Jack answered.

Mrs. Faulkner shook her head sorrowfully. "You young men are all
alike, you will never allow your parents to have any virtues."

I was on the point of breaking a silence which had been extraordinarily
prolonged, but Jack got ahead of me.

"I know every one is always saying that," he began, "but I don't think
it is true. If you praised my father for being generous he would
simply laugh at you. He isn't built that way, you see, and he would
think anybody a fool who gave a tremendous lot without hoping to get
something back. It is a matter of business with him and he is honest
enough to admit it."

"You do allow that he is honest," Mrs. Faulkner put in.

"Of course," Jack replied quite good-temperedly, "only no one cares to
brag about their relations unless they want to be called a snob or a
bore. It wouldn't do, you see, for a man to go about declaring that he
had an uncle who was miles ahead of everybody else's uncle, or an aunt
who could give a start to any other aunt in the world."

"It depends upon wha