g a mass
of names and dates to memory. French, of course, I shall expect you to
talk at meal-times several days in the week."

"I shall talk French four days of the week and Russian in the remaining
three."

"Russian? My dear Miss Hope, no one in the house speaks or understands
Russian."

"That will not embarrass me in the least," said Lady Carlotta coldly.

Mrs. Quabarl, to use a colloquial expression, was knocked off her perch.
She was one of those imperfectly self-assured individuals who are
magnificent and autocratic as long as they are not seriously opposed. The
least show of unexpected resistance goes a long way towards rendering
them cowed and apologetic. When the new governess failed to express
wondering admiration of the large newly-purchased and expensive car, and
lightly alluded to the superior advantages of one or two makes which had
just been put on the market, the discomfiture of her patroness became
almost abject. Her feelings were those which might have animated a
general of ancient warfaring days, on beholding his heaviest
battle-elephant ignominiously driven off the field by slingers and
javelin throwers.

At dinner that evening, although reinforced by her husband, who usually
duplicated her opinions and lent her moral support generally, Mrs.
Quabarl regained none of her lost ground. The governess not only helped
herself well and truly to wine, but held forth with considerable show of
critical knowledge on various vintage matters, concerning which the
Quabarls were in no wise able to pose as authorities. Previous
governesses had limited their conversation on the wine topic to a
respectful and doubtless sincere expression of a preference for water.
When this one went as far as to recommend a wine firm in whose hands you
could not go very far wrong Mrs. Quabarl thought it time to turn the
conversation into more usual channels.

"We got very satisfactory references about you from Canon Teep," she
observed; "a very estimable man, I should think."

"Drinks like a fish and beats his wife, otherwise a very lovable
character," said the governess imperturbably.

"_My dear_ Miss Hope! I trust you are exaggerating," exclaimed the
Quabarls in unison.

"One must in justice admit that there is some provocation," continued the
romancer. "Mrs. Teep is quite the most irritating bridge-player that I
have ever sat down with; her leads and declarations would condone a
certain amount of brutality in he