"Don't you really know who Mrs. Hunt is, Valentia?" Mrs. Wyburn's voice trembled.
"No; I haven't the faintest idea."
"She's a Registry Off——Well, may you never know! Certainly I'm not going to leave my house. The idea of such a thing!"
"Oh, I'm so glad," said Val, getting up. "I'm afraid I must leave it, though. I have so many little things to do before I go. Now, Mrs. Wyburn, take great care of yourself, and I do hope you'll get a nice housemaid quite soon. That sort of thing is so worrying, isn't it?"
Mrs. Wyburn accompanied her to the door, and as usual stood on the landing with her, complaining of various troubles, and finally parted with caressing words and advice about going for country clothes to "a little dressmaker—quite near here—who runs up one's blouses and skirts."
"Does she? Fancy! She must be small! Good-bye!" ...
... "What a woman!" murmured Val as she got into the carriage.
"What a wife for Romer!" exclaimed Mrs. Wyburn as the door shut.