"You treat her as a perfect lady, Starling darling, for a minute while we go and take our things off," said Nancy, "and try and persuade her to do her work better, or she'll have to go."
Hannah was left indignantly spluttering something about working her fingers to the bone and getting small thanks for it, while Miss Bird soothed her ruffled spirits, and told her that if she didn't know how to put up with her young ladies' nonsense by this time she wasn't as sensible as she had thought, but she was delighted to see her again, and was sure that she was doing her duty as she always had done it.
A little later she was sitting between the twins on the schoolroom sofa, having duly expressed her rapture at finding herself once more in that dear old room.
"Now we'll tell you all about everything," began Joan. "You heard father say how much he liked Virginia, didn't you?"
"Yes," said Miss Bird, "and Mrs. Clinton too and very pleasant it is when some one comes into a family to be welcomed so lovingly and I hope you and Nancy are equally fond of her Joan for I am sure she deserves it so kind and considerate as she has shown herself."
"We adore her," said Nancy. "It is very easy for people to make us like them if they take a little trouble. We are very simple-minded."
"It's a question of chocolates judiciously administered," said Joan. "But we could do without them from her, because we like her immensely. Well, you'd hardly believe, from the way father talked, that he threatened to cut Dick off with a shilling if he married her, could you?"
"Now Joan I don't want to listen to any nonsense," said Miss Bird. "You have taken me in once this evening and let that be enough."
"But, Starling darling, it's true. It wasn't till she saved his life out hunting that he would put up with her at all. Of course, now he thinks he always liked her, but that's what he is."
"I don't wish to hear any more of that tell me about the wedding," said Miss Bird.