'No, I have never seen him. He is, or has been, abroad, I have been told. I think he was Governor-General of a place called Tierra del Fuego. He came home, I have heard, but is back again in foreign parts.'
'Ah! A Colonial appointment. Exactly. And her mother?'
'Mr. Holwood lost his wife before his child was born—I mean soon after it was born,' answered the good woman with growing confusion of face and uncertainty of manner. 'But really you must not ask me too many questions. I do know nothing about the family, but that they want the maid to be properly educated, and they are ready to stump up.'
'Stump, Mrs. Jose!'
'That is to say—pay handsomely.'
'There is no thought of payment entertained by me. No sum that could be mentioned would adequately compensate for the attention, the direction, the correction that will be lavished on the young lady. I do not sell my services,' said the widow severely; 'if it be deemed right that a honorarium should be offered, I resign myself to it. But the large circle of my acquaintance, their distinguished quality, and my wide experience enable me to impart to any young lady placing herself under my protection an air of refinement that is the exclusive privilege of the aristocracy, and I venture to say that you would have to go far afield to obtain advantages equal to those offered under this modest roof. Oh! here they return, and apparently good friends.'
As the two girls entered the room, Mrs. Tomkin-Jones examined Winefred with a critical eye.
'Country made or mismade,' she said. 'Nous allons changer tout cela. And now, my good Jose, may I offer you something to eat or to drink? We shall be going out for a drive in ten minutes, and I must haste with my dressing. I am so sorry that I did not think of this before. A biscuit now? A glass of sherry? No—then—excuse me, a cruel fate bears me away, a social necessity—I must dress before my drive. Trust me. I will do my best by the young lady, and when you see her again, you will find her transmuted.'