"What else would you have me do?" demanded Gwen revengefully.
"Hum!" said Mrs. Perage in a meditative manner. "I think I should ask for an explanation."
"There can be no explanation likely to satisfy me."
"That entirely depends upon my common-sense way of looking at things," said Mrs. Perage dryly. "Or on your common-sense, if you come to that. By the way, that girl is coming down here this afternoon--she will arrive in an hour."
"What girl?"
"Hum!" Mrs. Perage skirted round the subject and did not give an entirely direct reply. "Your breakfast has been your luncheon, for it is now two o'clock, so such a queer exchange of meals must have upset you. Perhaps you had better not be present."
"What girl are you talking about?" asked Gwen, her colour coming and going, although she knew perfectly well what was meant. "And I am in quite enough good health to see any girl. How dare she come here?"
"Ah!"--Mrs. Perage chuckled,--"you guess what I mean, I see. Well, my dear Jim was rather put out about your quarrel with Hench, so he suggested at my desire that it would be as well for him to go to town and bring Mademoiselle Zara with him down here to explain matters."
"I don't require any explanation," said Gwen, holding her head very high.
"Bless the girl, did I say so? This Zara woman is coming to explain to me. I may as well be plain, Gwen. It was I who told Jim to go to town and fetch her, since it is necessary that I should learn what a rascal Hench is."