go,' said Victoria quietly. 'It's very kind
of you to take me.'

'Nonsense, my dear,' replied Mrs Holt, gently beaming. 'You are like the
sunshine, you know. Dear me! I don't know what I should have done if I
hadn't found you. You can't imagine the woman who was here before you.
She was the daughter of a clergyman, and I did get so tired of hearing
how they lost their money. But, there, I'm worrying you when you've got
a headache. I do wish you'd try Dr Eberman's pills. All the papers are
simply full of advertisements about them. And these German doctors are
so clever. Oh, I shall be so late.'

Victoria assured her that she was sure her head would be better by
dinner time. Mrs Holt fussed about the room for a moment, anxiously
tested the possible dustiness of a bracket, pulled the curtains and
picked up the Sunday papers from the floor. She then collected a small
canvas bag decorated with a rainbow parrot, a hymn and service book, her
spectacle case, several unnecessary articles which happened to be about
and left the room with the characteristic rustle which pervades the
black silk dresses of well-to-do Rawsley dames.

Victoria sat back in the large leather armchair. Her head was not very
bad but she felt just enough in her temples a tiny passing twinge to
shirk chapel without qualms. She toyed with a broken backed copy of
_Charlton on Book-Keeping_ which lay in her lap. It was a curious fate
that had landed her into Charlton's epoch making work. Mrs Holt, that
prince of good fellows, had a genius for saving pennies and had been
trained in the school of a Midland household, but the fortunes of her
husband had left her feebly struggling in a backwash of pounds. So much
had this been the case that Mr Holt had discovered joyfully that he had
at last in his house a woman who could bring herself to passing an
account for twenty pounds for stabling. Little by little Victoria had
established her position. She was Mrs Holt's necessary companion and
factotum. She could apparently do anything and do it well; she could
even tackle such intricate tasks as checking washing or understanding
Bradshaw. She was always ready and always bright. She had an unerring
eye for a good quality of velvet; she could time the carriage to a
nicety for the Albert Hall concert. Mrs Holt felt that without this
pleasant and competent young woman she would be quite lost.

Mr Holt, too, after inspecting Victoria grimly every day for an entire
month,