"Tell me about the new Superintendent," said Edna quickly. "Miss Marchrose, isn't she?"
"Most pleasant and energetic," said Cooper rapidly. "The sort of young lady I call capable."
"She's got into the way of things very quickly," Miss Farmer supplemented.
"I wonder if she is connected with a Miss Marchrose whom I used to hear about, some years ago——" said Lady Rossiter thoughtfully.
"Here's Easter!" exclaimed her husband, looking from the window and feeling thankful for any interruption to Edna's possible intention of recapitulating the scandal attaching to the unfortunately uncommon name of the new Superintendent.
Young Cooper sprang up.
"Let me make rather more room. I'll move to this chair, if I may, Lady Rossiter."
Mark Easter's arrival improved matters greatly, even though he was accompanied by the preposterous Ruthie, adopting a sudden pose of extreme shyness, and concealing her face on her left shoulder, after the manner of a timid infant of two years old. The members of the staff knew Mark, had laughed at his jokes in and out of office hours, had experienced his pleasant, courteously-abrupt authority in work-time, and knew him for a fellow-worker who spared himself less than he did them.
Miss Sandiloe launched into the shrill fire of giggling repartee which was her nearest approach to naturalness. Miss Farmer's frown of strained attention relaxed, and she leant back, as though for the first time able to look at her surroundings, and Cooper ceased to fix bulging and attentive eyes upon his hostess.
Julian marvelled, not at all for the first time, at the invariable effect upon his surroundings of Mark Easter's elementary witticisms and gay, indefinable charm of manner.