nd his mother's mother, for
Aggie's own, for his other sisters, for toutes ces dames. It would have
been good enough for my child, as I call her--my dear husband called her
HIS--if, not losing her parents, she had remained in her own country.
She would have been brought up there under an anxious eye--that's the
great point; privately, carefully, tenderly, and with what she was NOT
to learn--till the proper time--looked after quite as much as the
rest. I can only go on with her in that spirit and make of her, under
Providence, what I consider any young person of her condition, of her
name, of her particular traditions, should be. Voila, ma chere. Should
you put it to me whether I think you're surrounding Nanda with any such
security as that--well, I shouldn't be able to help it if I offended you
by an honest answer. What it comes to, simply stated, is that really she
must choose between Aggie and Tishy. I'm afraid I should shock you were
I to tell you what I should think of myself for packing MY child, all
alone, off for a week with Mrs. Grendon."

Mrs. Brookenham, who had many talents, had none perhaps that she oftener
found useful than that of listening with the appearance of being fairly
hypnotised. It was the way she listened to her housekeeper at their
regular morning conference, and if the rejoinder ensuing upon it
frequently appeared to have nothing to do with her manner this was a
puzzle for her interlocutor alone. "Oh of course I know your theory,
dear Jane, and I dare say it's very charming and old-fashioned and, if
you like, aristocratic, in a frowsy foolish old way--though even upon
that, at the same time, there would be something too to be said. But I
can only congratulate you on finding it more workable than there can be
any question of MY finding it. If you're all armed for the sacrifices
you speak of I simply am not. I don't think I'm quite a monster, but
I don't pretend to be a saint. I'm an English wife and an English
mother--I live in the mixed English world. My daughter, at any rate,
is just my daughter, I thank my stars, and one of a good English bunch:
she's not the unique niece of my dead Italian husband, nor doubtless
either, in spite of her excellent birth, of a lineage, like Aggie's, so
very tremendous. I've my life to lead and she's a part of it. Sugar?"
she wound up on a still softer note as she handed the cup of tea.

"Never! Well, with ME" said the Duchess with spirit, "she would be all."