"The 'trouble' 's a pleasure. You don't want your 'favourite dog' mentioned, do you? Favourite dogs are rather at a discount. Er——"
"Three," she said. "Yes; a boy and two girls."
"Does the boy—'in a picturesque suit'—come into the room, and lead up to 'evident maternal pride'?"
"He's a dear little fellow!" she answered. "But do you think 'evident maternal pride' would be quite in the key? No; I'd stick to me and the work! Besides, domesticity is tedious to read about; the dullest topic in the world is other people's children."
Kent laughed.
"I'll explain to Mr. Beaufort," he declared; "you shall have a revise sent on to-morrow. I'm sure you'll find it all right when he understands the style of thing you want."
"Thank you," she said dryly. "I assure you I have no misgivings, Mr. Kent. 'Kent'! I've never had any correspondence with you, have I? The name's familiar to me, somehow."
"An alias is 'The garden of England,'" he said.
"No; you haven't written anything, have you?"
"Two novels. One is published, and the post is wearing out the other."