of her thoughts. Notwithstanding Lady Susan's cheery optimism, she was
considerably worried about Tony. She could see so exactly what it was that
fretted him--this eternal dancing attendance on Sir Philip, who insisted on
the boy's accompanying him wherever he went, and she felt a sudden angry
contempt for the selfishness of old age which could so obstinately bind
eager, straining youth to its chariot wheels. It seemed to her that the
older generation frequently fell very far short of its responsibility
towards the younger.

With a flash of bitterness she reflected that her own father had failed
in his duty to the next generation almost as signally as old Sir Philip,
although in a totally different manner. Archibald Lovell had indeed been
curiously devoid of any sense of paternal responsibility. Connoisseur and
collector of old porcelain, he had lived a dreamy, dilettante existence,
absorbed in his collection and paying little or no heed to the comings and
goings of his two children, Ann and her brother Robin. And less heed still
to their ultimate welfare. He neglected his estate from every point of
view, except the one of raising mortgages upon it so that he might have the
wherewithal to add to his store of ceramic treasures. He lived luxuriously,
employing a high-priced _chef_ and soft-footed, well-trained servants to
see to his comfort, because anything short of perfection grated on his
artistic sensibilities. And when an intrusive influenza germ put a sudden
end to his entirely egotistical activities, his son and daughter found
themselves left with only a few hundred pounds between them. Lovell Court
was perforce sold at once to pay off the mortgages, and to meet the many
other big outstanding debts the contents of the house had to be dispersed
without reserve. The collection of old porcelain to which Archibald Lovell
had sacrificed most of the human interests of life was soon scattered
amongst the dealers in antiques, who, in many instances, bought back at
bargain prices the very pieces they had sold to him at an extravagantly