"Ah, and she taught you to sing! I should like to meet that governess. She must be a very clever person."
Her ladyship's manner was delightfully blunt.
"Now, Lady Dromard, you're laughing at me! I know nothing—I have read nothing."
"I rejoice to hear it!" cried the countess cordially. "I assure you, Miss Luttrell, that's a most refreshing confession in these days. Only it's too good to be true. I don't believe you, you know."
Christina made no great effort to establish the truth of her statement; for some minutes longer they watched the game.
But the countess was not interested, though her younger son had gone in, and had already begun to score. "What were they?" she said at length with extreme obscurity; but Christina was polite enough not to ask her what she meant until she had put this question to herself, and while she still hesitated Lady Dromard recollected herself, appreciated the hesitation, and explained. "I mean the trees in the bush, at your farm. Were they gum trees?"
"Very few of them—there are hardly any gum trees up there."
"Do you know that I have a young gum tree?" said Lady Dromard amusingly, as though it were a young opossum.
"No!" said Tiny incredulously.
"But I have, in the conservatory; you might have seen it the other evening."