"You must be Miss Hope, the governess I've come tomeet," said the apparition, in a tone that admitted ofvery little argument.
"Very well, if I must I must," said Lady Carlotta toherself with dangerous meekness.
"I am Mrs. Quabarl," continued the lady; "and where,pray, is your luggage?"
"It's gone astray," said the alleged governess,falling in with the excellent rule of life that theabsent are always to blame; the luggage had, in point offact, behaved with perfect correctitude. "I've justtelegraphed about it," she added, with a nearer approachto truth.
"How provoking," said Mrs. Quabarl; "these railwaycompanies are so careless. However, my maid can lend youthings for the night," and she led the way to her car.
During the drive to the Quabarl mansion LadyCarlotta was impressively introduced to the nature of thecharge that had been thrust upon her; she learned thatClaude and Wilfrid were delicate, sensitive young people,that Irene had the artistic temperament highly developed,and that Viola was something or other else of a mouldequally commonplace among children of that class and typein the twentieth century.
"I wish them not only to be taught," said Mrs.Quabarl, "but interested in what they learn. In theirhistory lessons, for instance, you must try to make themfeel that they are being introduced to the life-storiesof men and women who really lived, not merely committinga mass of names and dates to memory. French, of course,I shall expect you to talk at meal-times several days inthe week."
"I shall talk French four days of the week andRussian in the remaining three."
"Russian? My dear Miss Hope, no one in the housespeaks or understands Russian."
"That will not embarrass me in the least," said LadyCarlotta coldly.
Mrs. Quabarl, to use a colloquial expression, wasknocked off her perch. She was one of those imperfectlyself-assured individuals who are magnificent andautocratic as long as they are not seriously opposed.The least show of unexpected resistance goes a long waytowards rendering them cowed and apologetic. When thenew governess failed to express wondering admiration ofthe large newly-purchased and expensive car, and lightlyalluded to the superior advantages of one or two makeswhich had just been put on the market, the discomfitureof her patroness became almost abject. Her feelings werethose which might have animated a general of ancientwarfaring days, on beholding his heaviest battle-elephantignominiously driven off the field by slingers andjavelin throwers.
At dinner that evening, although reinforced by herhusband, who usually duplicated her opinions and lent hermoral support generally, Mrs. Quabarl regained none ofher lost ground. The governess not only helped herselfwell and truly to wine, but held forth with considerableshow of critical knowledge on various vintage matters,concerning which the Quabarls were in no wise able topose as authorities. Previous governesses had limitedtheir conversation on the wine topic to a respectful anddoubtless sincere expression of a preference for water.When this one went as far as to recommend a wine firm inwhose hands you could not go very far wrong Mrs. Quabarlthought it time to turn the conversation into more usualchannels.
"We got very satisfactory references about you fromCanon Teep," she observed; "a very estimable man, Ishould think."
"Drinks like a fish and beats his wife, otherwise avery lovable character," said the governessimperturbably.
"My dear Miss Hope! I trust you are exaggerating,"exclaimed the Quabarls in unison.
"One must in justice admit that there is someprovocation," continued the romancer. "Mrs. Teep isquite the most irritating bridge-player that I have eversat down with; her leads and declarations would condone acertain amount of brutality in her partner, but to souseher with the contents of the only soda-water syphon inthe house on a Sunday afternoon, when one couldn't getanother, argues an indifference to the comfort of otherswhich I cannot altogether overlook. You may think mehasty in my judgments, but it was practically on accountof the syphon incident that I left."
"We will talk of this some other time," said Mrs.Quabarl hastily.
"I shall never allude to it again," said thegoverness with decision.
Mr. Quabarl made a welcome diversion by asking whatstudies the new instructress proposed to inaugurate onthe morrow.
"History to begin with," she informed him.
"Ah, history," he observed sagely; "now in teachingthem history you must take care to interest them in whatthey learn. You must make them feel that they are beingintroduced to the life-stories of men and women whoreally lived - "
"I've told her all that," interposed Mrs. Quabarl.
"I teach history on the Schartz-Metterklume method,"said the governess loftily.
"Ah, yes," said her listeners, thinking it expedientto assume an acquaintance at least with the name.
* * * *
"What are you children doing out here?" demandedMrs. Quabarl the next morning, on finding Irene sittingrather glumly at the head of the stairs, while her sisterwas perched in an attitude of depressed discomfort on thewindow-seat behind her, with a wolf-skin rug almostcovering her.
"We are having a history lesson," came theunexpected reply. "I am supposed to be Rome, and Violaup there is the she-wolf; not a real wolf, but the figureof one that the Romans used to set store by - I forgetwhy. Claude and Wilfrid have gone to fetch the shabbywomen."
"The shabby women?"
"Yes, they've got to carry them off. They didn'twant to, but Miss Hope got one of father's fives-bats andsaid she'd give them a number nine spanking if theydidn't, so they've gone to do it."
A loud, angry screaming from the direction of thelawn drew Mrs. Quabarl thither in hot haste, fearful lestthe threatened castigation might even now be in processof infliction. The outcry, however, came principallyfrom the two small daughters of the lodge-keeper, whowere being hauled and pushed towards the house by thepanting and dishevelled Claude and Wilfrid, whose taskwas rendered even more arduous by the incessant, if notvery effectual, attacks of the captured maidens' smallbrother. The governess, fives-bat in hand, satnegligently on the stone balustrade, presiding over thescene with the cold impartiality of a Goddess of Battles.A furious and repeated chorus of "I'll tell muvver" rosefrom the lodge-children, but the lodge-mother, who washard of hearing, was for the moment immersed in thepreoccupation of her washtub.
After an apprehensive glance in the direction of thelodge (the good woman was gifted with the highly militanttemper which is sometimes the privilege of deafness) Mrs.Quabarl flew indignantly to the rescue of the strugglingcaptives.
"Wilfrid! Claude! Let those children go at once.Miss Hope, what on earth is the meaning of this scene?"
"Early Roman history; the Sabine Women, don't youknow? It's the Schartz-Metterklume method to makechildren understand history by acting it themselves;fixes it in their memory, you know. Of course, if,thanks to your interference, your boys go through lifethinking that the Sabine women ultimately escaped, Ireally cannot be held responsible."
[she is recreating this scene]"You may be very clever and modern, Miss Hope," saidMrs. Quabarl firmly, "but I should like you to leave hereby the next train. Your luggage will be sent after youas soon as it arrives."
"I'm not certain exactly where I shall be for thenext few days," said the dismissed instructress of youth;"you might keep my luggage till I wire my address. Thereare only a couple of trunks and some golf-clubs and aleopard cub."
"A leopard cub!" gasped Mrs. Quabarl. Even in herdeparture this extraordinary person seemed destined toleave a trail of embarrassment behind her.
"Well, it's rather left off being a cub; it's morethan half-grown, you know. A fowl every day and a rabbiton Sundays is what it usually gets. Raw beef makes ittoo excitable. Don't trouble about getting the car forme, I'm rather inclined for a walk."
And Lady Carlotta strode out of the Quabarl horizon.
The advent of the genuine Miss Hope, who had made amistake as to the day on which she was due to arrive,caused a turmoil which that good lady was quite unused toinspiring. Obviously the Quabarl family had beenwoefully befooled, but a certain amount of relief camewith the knowledge.
"How tiresome for you, dear Carlotta," said herhostess, when the overdue guest ultimately arrived; "howvery tiresome losing your train and having to stopovernight in a strange place."
"Oh dear, no," said Lady Carlotta; "not at alltiresome - for me."
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