oman of that strong
and rather trying American type one hears of, or is she younger than her
ladyship, a pretty, indignant, totally unpractical girl, outraged by
the state of affairs she has discovered, foolishly coming to demand
of Messrs. Townlinson & Sheppard an explanation of things they are not
responsible for? Will she, perhaps, lose her temper, and accuse and
reproach, or even--most unpleasant to contemplate--shed hysterical
tears?

It fell to Mr. Townlinson to receive her in the absence of Mr. Sheppard,
who had been called to Northamptonshire to attend to great affairs. He
was a stout, grave man with a heavy, well-cut face, and, when Bettina
entered his room, his courteous reception of her reserved his view of
the situation entirely.

She was not of the mature and rather alarming American type he had
imagined possible, he felt some relief in marking at once. She was also
not the pretty, fashionable young lady who might have come to scold him,
and ask silly, irrational questions.

His ordinarily rather unillumined countenance changed somewhat in
expression when she sat down and began to speak. Mr. Townlinson was
impressed by the fact that it was at once unmistakably evident that
whatsoever her reason for coming, she had not presented herself to ask
irrelevant or unreasonable questions. Lady Anstruthers, she explained
without superfluous phrase, had no definite knowledge of her husband's
whereabouts, and it had seemed possible that Messrs. Townlinson &
Sheppard might have received some information more recent that her own.
The impersonal framing of this inquiry struck Mr. Townlinson as being in
remarkably good taste, since it conveyed no condemnation of Sir Nigel,
and no desire to involve Mr. Townlinson in expressing any. It refrained
even from implying that the situation was an unusual one, which might
be open to criticism. Excellent reserve and great cleverness, Mr.
Townlinson commented inwardly. There were certainly few young ladies who
would have clearly realised that a solicitor cannot be called upon to
commit himself, until he has had time to weigh matters and decide upon
them. His long and varied experience had included interviews in which
charming, emotional women had expected him at once to "take sides." Miss
Vanderpoel exhibited no signs of expecting anything of this kind, even
when she went on with what she had come to say. Stornham Court and
its surroundings were depreciating seriously in value thro