But she had no idea that it was to come so soon, nor from her own brother.
Lunch in the Ransford menage was an informal meal.

At a quarter past one every day, it was on the table--a cold lunch to which the three members of the household helped themselves as they liked, independent of the services of servants.

Sometimes all three were there at the same moment; sometimes Ransford was half an hour late; the one member who was always there to the moment was Dick Bewery, who fortified himself sedulously after his morning's school labours.

On this particular day all three met in the dining-room at once, and sat down together.

And before Dick had eaten many mouthfuls of a cold pie to which he had just liberally helped himself he bent confidentially across the table towards his guardian.
"There's something I think you ought to be told about, sir," he remarked with a side-glance at Mary.