[ A short, sharp shrug. But the tension goes out of Byerly a bit as it becomes clear that Dorian wasn't really mocking them. ]

Because Father was, as the saying goes, mad as a Vorrutyer. [ A little release of breath. ] He inherited next to nothing. And what he had, he refused to spend. Dressed us in rags and fed us food half-rotten by the time it was on our table. [ Clearly an exaggeration - they're not dressed in rags - but not a huge one. ] Paying salaries was completely out of the question.