"I don't believe it," declared Mrs. Hillier at once. "It's probably a misprint."
"Weston," he said, ignoring my mistress, "where is the governor?" I hurried towards him, and explained that Mr. Hillier was out with Master John and Miss Katherine; I hoped that if Colonel Edgington happened to meet them he would be careful to soften down any bad news he had to communicate. "War is a man's business," he retorted. "All that you women have to do is to just stand outside the ropes, and look on."
"I think you'll find us doing a lot more than that, sir."
"Ah," he said, "you mean nursing. Well, we may allow you to take a share in nursing, but nothing else, mind."
"It probably won't rest with either you or me, sir."
"It certainly won't rest with you, Weston. If I miss the governor, say that I am going up to the War Office to-morrow morning early. I shall most likely catch his train. But I daresay it will slip your memory. Never met a woman yet who could be depended upon to do as she was ordered."
"Perhaps your experience of them has been limited, sir."
"Weston," he said, rolling up the newspaper, and pointing it at me, "I've often heard it said about here that you were treated as one of the family. I've denied the statement. I've always pointed out that you are treated as the head of the family."