"This is a puppy, so it's a child," had come the decisive reply. "And
I'll buy him, though I needn't really, if I refer it to the Society."

"I'll take ten poun' for 'im."

The child fished for her purse, which, contained half-a-crown and her
ticket, and flung it with a supreme gesture of contempt at the man's
feet; then, squeezing up the dog in her arms, tore a simple gold
bracelet off her left arm and flung it after the purse.

"Worv two poun' at the mos'."

Then, from out of a first-class carriage of the train waiting to start
for Southampton slowly descended Olivia, Duchess of Longacres.

The girl and the alien had their backs turned to her, but the crowd had
seen; had looked; started to laugh, and then had become silent, so
great was the dignity of the old lady.

Clad in a voluminous grey taffeta gown, from under which peeped little
crimson shoes; covered with a huge loose ermine wrap, with the black
poke-bonnet on top of the outrageous golden perruque and the grey
parrot bobbing up and down excitedly upon her shoulder, she stood
silently taking in the scene.

There was the light of battle in the famous hawk's-eyes as she listened
to the girl defending the pup, and her splendid teeth shone in a grin
of enjoyment as she suddenly rattled her ebony stick upon the alien's
ankle-bones, those most tender bits of anatomical scaffolding.