She herself had met Hubert at the house of an artist in Rome more than a year ago, but the details of his life were unknown to her.

Subsequently, in London, she happened once to get on the subject of Socialism with him, and told him, as an interesting story, what she heard from the Westlakes about Richard Mutimer.

Hubert admitted knowledge of the facts, and made the remark about the valley of Wanley which Mrs.Boscobel repeated at Exmouth, but he revealed nothing more.

Having no marriageable daughter, Mrs.Boscobel was under no necessity of searching into his antecedents.

He was one of ten or a dozen young men of possible future whom she liked to have about her.
Hubert seated himself by Adela, and there was a moment of inevitable silence.
'I saw you as soon as I got into the room,' he said, in the desperate necessity for speech of some kind.