No one apparently wanted it. It had been lying unopened in the drawing-room after lunch when Lucy had been the first to look at it, and as far as she had noticed no one except Miss Lux had picked it up since.
"This set of Seniors are planting themselves out very nicely. Almost without our help," Madame Lefevre said. "There will be less heart-burning than usual." She did not sound very sorry about the heart-burning; just sardonic.
"It continually surprises me," said Miss Hodge, not at all sardonic, "how each year the students slip into their appropriate places in the world's work. The openings come up as the students are ready to fill them. Almost like — like two pieces of the same machine. So surprising and so satisfactory. I don't think we have had a misfit in all my years at Leys. I had a letter from the Cordwainers School, by the way; in Edinburgh, you know. Mulcaster is getting married and they want someone in her place. You will remember Mulcaster, Marie?" She turned to Madame Lefevre who, except for Henrietta, was the Oldest Inhabitant-and who, incidentally, had been christened plain Mary.
"Of course I remember her. A lump without leaven," said Madame, who judged everyone by their capacity to execute rondes de jambes.
"A nice girl," Henrietta said placidly. "I think Cordwainers will be a very good place for Sheena Stewart."
"Have you told her about it?" Miss Wragg asked.
"No, oh, no; I always like to sleep on things."
"Hatch them out, you mean," Madame said. "You must have heard about Cordwainers before lunch-time yesterday because that was the last post, and it is only now we hear about it."
"It was not very important," Henrietta said defensively; and then added with what was nearly a simper: "But I have heard rumours of a 'plum, a really wonderful chance for someone."
"Tell us," they said.