mother, died too, while he was at Eton.  After that Miss Paget’s house was his home.  Whenever he was extravagant at Oxford, as he was sometimes, she would pay his debts quite happily, and tell him that everything she had would be his some day, so he was not to bother about money.  Accordingly, he didn’t bother, but lived rather a lazy life—­so he said—­and enjoyed himself.  A couple of years before I met him he got interested, through a friend, in a newly invented motor, which they both thought would be a wonderful success.  Jack tried to get his aunt interested, too, but she didn’t like the friend who had invented it—­seemed jealous of Jack’s affection for him—­and refused to have anything to do with the affair.  Jack had gone so far, however, while taking her consent for granted, that he felt bound to go on; and when Miss Paget would have nothing to do with floating the new invention, Jack sold out the investments of his own little fortune (all that was left of his mother’s money), putting everything at his friend’s disposal.  Miss Paget was disgusted with him for doing this, and when the motor wouldn’t mote and the invention wouldn’t float, she just said, “I told you so!”

It was at this time, Jack went on to tell me, that Miss Paget bought Beau.  She had had another dog, given her by Jack, which died, and she collected Beau herself.  Only a few days after Beau’s arrival, Jack went down into the country to see his aunt and talk things over; for she had brought him up to expect to be her heir; and as she wanted him with her continually, as if he had been her son, she had objected to his taking up any profession.  Now that he’d lost his own money in this unfortunate speculation, he felt he ought to do something not to be dependent upon her, his income of two hundred a year having been sunk with the unfloatable motor invention.  He meant to ask Miss Paget to lend him enough to go in as partner with another friend, who had a very thriving motor business, and to suggest paying her back so much a year.  But everything was against him on that visit to his aunt’s country house.

In the first place, she was in a very bad humour with him, because he had gone against her wishes, and she didn’t want to hear anything more about motors or motor business.  Then, there was Beau, as a tertium quid.

Beau had been bought from a dreadful man who had probably stolen, and certainly ill-treated him.  The dog was very young, and owing to his late owner’s cruelty, feared and hated the sight of a man.  Since she had had him Miss Paget had done her very best to spoil the poor animal, encouraging him to growl at the men-servants, and laughing when he frightened away any male creature who had come about the place.  While she and Jack were arguing over money and motors, who should stroll in but Beau, who at sight of a stranger—­a man—­closeted with his indulgent mistress, flew into a rage.  He seized Jack by the trouser-leg and began to worry it, and Jack had to choke him before the dog would let go his grip.