The listeners to this dialogue betrayed approval of the young man's
demeanour. Constance Bride, who had looked very grave indeed,
allowed her features to relax; Mrs. Gallantry smiled a smile of
conciliation, and her husband drew a sigh as if supremely edified.

Lady Ogram glanced at her secretary.

"Miss Bride, let him know my 'excellent reasons,' will you?"

"For a long time," began Constance, in clear, balanced tones, "the
village of Shawe has been anything but prosperous. It was
agricultural, of course, and farming about here isn't what is used
to be; there's a great deal of grass and not much tillage. The folk
had to look abroad for a living; several of the cottages stood
empty; the families that remained were being demoralised by poverty;
they wouldn't take the work that offered in the fields, and
preferred to scrape up a living in the streets of Hollingford, if
they didn't try their hand at a little burglary and so on. Lady
Ogram saw what was going on, and thought it over, and hit upon the
idea of the paper-mill. Of course most of the Shawe cottagers were
no good for such employment, but some of the young people got taken
on, and there was work in prospect for children growing up, and in
any case, the character of the village was saved. Decent families
came to the deserted houses, and things in general looked up."

"Extremely interesting," murmured Mr. Gallantry, as though he heard
all this for the first time, and was deeply impressed by it.

"Very interesting indeed," said Lashmar, with his frankest air. "I