McClosky with nervous effusion:--

"I am only Mrs. Peyton's major domo here, but any guest of her
DAUGHTER'S is welcome."

"Yes," said Mrs. McClosky, with ostentatious archness, "I reckon Susy
and I understand your position here, and you've got a good berth of it.
But we won't trouble you much on Mrs. Peyton's account, will we, Susy?
And now she and me will just take a look around the shanty,--it is real
old Spanish anteek, ain't it?--and sorter take stock of it, and you
young folks will have to tear yourselves apart for a while, and play
propriety before me. You've got to be on your good behavior while
I'm here, I can tell you! I'm a heavy old 'doo-anna.' Ain't I, Susy?
School-ma'ms and mother superiors ain't in the game with ME for
discipline."

She threw her arms around the young girl's waist and drew her towards
her affectionately, an action that slightly precipitated some powder
upon the black dress of her niece. Susy glanced mischievously at
Clarence, but withdrew her eyes presently to let them rest with
unmistakable appreciation and admiration on her relative. A pang shot
through Clarence's breast. He had never seen her look in that way at
Mrs. Peyton. Yet here was this stranger, provincial, overdressed, and
extravagant, whose vulgarity was only made tolerable through her good
humor, who had awakened that interest which the refined Mrs. Peyton had
never yet been able to touch. As Mrs. McClosky swept out of the room
with Susy he turned away with a sinking heart.

Yet it was necessary that the Spanish house servants should not suspect
this treason to their mistress, and Clarence stopped their childish
curiosity about the stranger with a careless and easy acceptance of
Susy's sudden visit in the light of an ordinary occurrence, and with a
familiarity towards Mrs. McClosky which became the more distasteful to
him in proportion as he saw that it was evidently agreeable to her. But,
easily responsive, she became speedily confidential. Without a single
question from himself, or a contributing remark from Susy, in half an
hour she had told him her whole history. How, as Jane Silsbee, an elder
sister of Susy's mother, she had early eloped from the paternal home
in Kansas with McClosky, a strolling actor. How she had married him
and gone on the stage under his stage name, effectively preventing any
recognition by her family. How, coming to California, where her husband
had become manager of the theatre at Sacramento,