“I don’t trouble my head more about her treatment than about yours, Mr. Bradfield,” answered Chris, smiling. “I shouldn’t mind being a parlour-maid here at all. Your parlour-maids have rather a good time of it, I think. And I shouldn’t mind being a visitor, nor a daughter; but a combination of the duties of all three is too much for one pair of feminine hands, and one simple feminine understanding.”
“Oh! And who’s to take care of my china when you’re gone?”
“Miss Graham-Shute.”
“Which one?”
“Rose. Mrs. Graham-Shute says dusting would spoil the shape of Lilith’s hands.”
“And who is to play the piano in the evenings?”
“Oh, Mrs. Shute herself could do that.”
Mr. Bradfield groaned.
“Shade of Instruction-book Hamilton! What has the piano done that it should be exposed to that?” he exclaimed. Then, turning to Chris with a frown, he went on, “You say I have been kind to you. Well, don’t you know that you are here to protect me from these people? I told you so when you first came.”