Frank looked towards the mansion described as one of the noblest in England, and saw a tolerably sized square house, with a range of white palings before the door, and a vine trailing over the front, but with no appearance of grandeur more than the very ordinary houses by its side.
"It would perhaps destroy the charm of the retirement you spoke of, if too many were admitted to share it," said Frank. "Has your step-son a family?"
"Four blooming girls, and an equal number of boys, not quite old enough yet to be treated as companions."
"Still at school?"
"Oh, no! My step-son hates public education. He brings them up beneath his own roof."
"With the help of a tutor, I suppose?"
"No, sir—no. A tutor is too harsh. A governess does it all."
"Ah!" said Frank.
"You start, my friend, as if you thought it impossible; but 'tis the case I assure you—quite a young woman, too—and yet what order she keeps them in. If I had had an adjutant-general, when I had my command, with half such zeal! We military men are judges of discipline, whether it is in the school-room or the field. So is my step-son."
"Pray, what age is the young person you speak so highly of?"