room. 'Mr Belton,' she said, 'I'm sure you will not take it amiss if I
take a cousin's privilege at once and explain to you something of our
way of living here. My dear father is not very strong.'

'He is much altered since I saw him last.'

'Oh, yes. Think of all that he has had to bear! Well, Mr Belton, the
fact is, that we are not so well off as we used to be, and are obliged
to live in a very quiet way. You will not mind that?'

'Who? I?'

'I take it very kind of you, your coming all this way to see us'

'I'd have come three times the distance.'

'But you must put up with us as you find us, you know. The truth is we
are very poor.'

'Well, now that's just what I wanted to know. One couldn't write and
ask such a question; but I was sure I should find out if I came.'

'You've found it out already, you see.'

'As for being poor, it's a thing I don't think very much about not for
young people. But it isn't comfortable when a man gets old. Now what I
want to know is this; can't something be done?'

'The only thing to do is to be very kind to him. He has had to let the
park to Mr Stovey, and he doesn't like talking about it.'