“Poor old dear,” he whispered as he escorted her into the hall. “I’ve an idea you’ve had the very devil of a day.”
“Naturally. I went shopping with an imp, didn’t I?”
He raised his extra high eyebrow a trifle higher. “Is she very hard to manage?”
“She is.”
“Any hope at all?”
“I’m afraid I’m not a fair judge, Dan. Every little while she grows impulsively angelic. She doesn’t like me a bit, yet today, after my maid Céleste had come over and done the imp’s hair, Tamea assured me I was very sweet and kissed me. She has a perfect passion for having her own way.”
“I’ll have to be firm with her, Maisie.”
“Don’t be humorous, Dan. In her hands you are as clay.”
“Nonsense! She’s just a simple child of nature. With tactful handling——”
Maisie was suddenly furious. “Oh, you’re such a helpless, lovable booby! You are the one man in this world whom Providence has selected as the rightful receiver of gold bricks. Why did you take on this frightful responsibility? Wouldn’t it have been far simpler and less expensive to have urged upon her father the wisdom of sending her back to her outlandish island to queen it over the cannibals instead of——”