"Jo's very well, thank you, Mr. Charles. How is your mamma this evening?"
"She was all right when I left home. Is Val here?"
"Not yet. Have you just come?"
The young gentleman nodded, and was turning away, but Mrs. McGregor recalled him.
"Isn't your mother coming, Charley?"
"No, she can't," said Charley. "The new teacher's come, and she's got to stay with her. She told me to bring her apologies."
The ladies were all animation directly. The new teacher! What was she like? When did she come? Was she young? Was she pretty? Did she seem nice?
"I didn't see her," said Charley, lounging against a sofa and flapping his gloves about.
"Didn't see her! I thought you said she was in your house?" cried Mrs. McGregor.
"So she is. I mean I didn't see her face. She had a thick vail on, and kept it down, and I left two or three minutes after she came."