Mrs. Bullivant dissolved into tears, and Tony, aghast, picked up the small trebly-folded sheet of crested paper that had fallen from its square envelope.
"Written by herself, too, not typed! Oh, I am sorry! But doesn't she give any reason?"
"Not any. But I suppose she wasn't comfortable when she stayed here last month. She said one or two little things at the time—the hot water, you know, and the gas giving such a poor light, and then the servants. But I never knew she was thinking of this."
"I must say, I think she might have given you a reason, or asked you to go and see her at the office," said Tony, her allegiance to Miss Vivian shaken at the sight of the little Superintendent in tears.
Every one liked Mrs. Bullivant at the Hostel, and when Tony told the others that she was to be dismissed there was a general outcry.
"But why? What a shame!"
"She always works so hard, and she's so nice to every one. It's too bad of Miss Vivian."
"It does seem very unlike her to be so inconsiderate!" Mrs. Potter exclaimed.
"I can't believe there isn't some satisfactory explanation. It's too unlike Miss Vivian."
Miss Delmege was caustically reminded by Miss Marsh that no explanation could really be satisfactory from the point of view of Mrs. Bullivant.