"Two."

"Wife?"

"No, sir," said the little man, very low.

"Son? Daughter? What age?"

"I have never been blessed with a child."

"Then who--"

"Willy Woolly would share the house with me, sir."

For the first time the Mordaunt Estate noticed a small, fluffy poodle,
with an important expression, seated behind the railing.

"I don't like dogs," said the Mordaunt Estate curtly.

"Willy Woolly"--Mr. Winslow Merivale addressed his companion--"this
gentleman does not like dogs."

The Mordaunt Estate felt suddenly convicted of social error. The feeling
deepened when Willy Woolly advanced, reckoned him up with an appraising
eye, and, without the slightest loss of dignity, raised himself on his
hind legs, offering the gesture of supplication. He did not, however,
droop his paws in the accepted canine style; he joined them, finger tip
to finger tip, elegantly and piously, after the manner of the
Maiden's Prayer.