"And is that the way you treat all presents, Jane-Ellen," he asked, "throwing them to Willoughby to tear to pieces?"
"That was not a present, sir. Presents are between equals, I've always thought."
"Then, Jane-Ellen, I don't see how you can ever hope to get any."
She looked at him and smiled. "Your talk is too deep and clever for a poor girl like me to understand, sir."
He smiled back. "They've all gone, Jane-Ellen," he said.
The news did not seem to disturb the cook in the least. Reed would have been shocked by the calmness with which she received it.
"And there was no truth in it?"
"And now you're all alone, sir," she replied.
"Absolutely alone."