indeed very young, but _tres tres bien, tres distingue_! Very well,
if the young lady was married, then well, naturally something would
happen! But she was "Miss," and that was quite other thing. Young
unmarried girls must be protected--it is so in _la belle France_.
Louise pulled the envelope apart and drew out the contents. She opened
the letter, and searched for the missive between its folds which was
destined for the hands of "Miss." There was none. Louise spread out the
letter. Her knowledge of English as a spoken language was limited, and
as a written language it was an unending puzzle.

She could, however, read the beginning and the end.

"Dear Gwen" ... and "Mother." _Hein!_

The reason why the letter had been put into her hands was just because
she could not read it.

What cunning! Without doubt, there were some additions added by the
Warden here and there to the maternal messages, which would have their
significance to "Miss." Again, what cunning!

And the Warden, so dignified and so just as he ought to be! Ah, my God,
but one never knows!

Louise folded up the letter and replaced it in its envelope.

Doubtless my Lady Dashwood was in the dark. Oh, completely! That goes
without saying. Louise had already tidied the room. There was nothing
more for her to do. She had been on the point of going down to the
servants' quarters. Should she take the letter as directed to the room
occupied by "Miss"? That was the momentous question. Now Louise was
bound hand and foot to the service of Lady Dashwood. Only for the sake
of that lady would Louise have endured the miseries of Oxford and the
taciturnity of Robinson, and the impertinence of Robinson's grandson,
Robinson aged fifteen, and the stupid solemnity of Mrs. Robinson, the
daughter-in-law of Robinson and the widowed mother of the young
Robinson.

Louise loved Lady Dashwood. Lady Dashwood was munificent and always
amiable, things very rare. Also Louise was a widow and had two children
in whom Lady Dashwood took an interest.

That Monsieur, the head of the College, should secretly communicate with
a "Miss" was a real scandal. _Propos d'amour_ are not for young ladies
who are unmarried. The Warden ought to have known better than that----
Ah, poor Lady Dashwood!

Torn between the desire to participate in an interesting affair and her
duty not to assist scandals in the family of my Lady Dashwood, Louise
stood for some time plunged in painful argument with her