“Indeed? You astonish me.”
“I’m perfectly tired of London, Canon!”
“Your husband, no doubt, has his occupation there.”
“My husband and I are estranged....”
“You’ve no child?”
“Alas, Canon! I often think ... sometimes ... I would like to adopt one. A little country buttercup! Really ... a dog, even the best of mannered—isn’t very comme il faut.”
“You seek a boy?”
“Mer-cy no! Nothing of the sort.... You quite mistake my meaning.”
“Your meaning madam was obscure.”
“I imply a girl ... a blonde! And she’d share with me, sir, every facility, every advantage. Her education should be my care.”