London. He'd take me away. To live even in a back street IN LONDON
would be Heaven! And one MUST--as soon as one possibly can.--One
MUST! And Oh!" with another hug which this time was a shudder,
"think of what Doris Harmer had to do! Think of his thick red old
neck and his horrid fatness! And the way he breathed through his
nose. Doris said that at first it used to make her ill to look at
him."

"She's got over it," whispered Alice. "She's almost as fat as he
is now. And she's loaded with pearls and things."

"I shouldn't have to 'get over' anything," said Amabel, "if this
one WOULD. I could fall in love with him in a minute."

"Did you hear what Father said?" Alice brought out the words
rather slowly and reluctantly. She was not eager on the whole to
yield up a detail which after all added glow to possible prospects
which from her point of view were already irritatingly glowing.
Yet she could not resist the impulse of excitement. "No, you didn't
hear. You were out of the room."

"What about? Something about HIM? I hope it wasn't horrid. How
could it be?"

"He said," Alice drawled with a touch of girlishly spiteful
indifference, "that if he was one of the poor Gareth-Lawlesses he
hadn't much chance of succeeding to the title. His uncle--Lord
Lawdor--is only forty-five and he has four splendid healthy
boys--perfect little giants."