o
confident in the might of good.

On Monday morning Michael jigged through his dressing, jigged downstairs
to breakfast, jigged through the meal itself and jigged upstairs to the
dining-room to watch for the splendid arrival. He tambourinated upon the
window-pane a gay little tune, jigging the while from foot to foot in an
ecstasy of anticipation.

Nurse had decided that the morning-room was not a fit place for such a
paragon to perform her duties. Nor did she feel that the day-nursery was
worthy of her. So, even while Michael jigged at his vigil, Nurse was
arming the dining-room table for an encounter with greatness. Inkpots
were dusted and displayed; blotting-pads, including one poker--worked
with a view of Antwerp Cathedral, were unfolded. Pens and pencils and
pieces of india-rubber and pen-wipers and boxes of nibs and drawing-pins
were lavishly scattered about the green tablecloth. Various blue
exercise-books gleamed in the April sunlight and, to set the seal upon
the whole business, a calendar of Great Thoughts was roughly divested of
ninety-eight great thoughts at once, in order that for this rare female
a correct announcement should celebrate the ninth of April, her famous
date. At five minutes to ten Nurse and Michael were both in a state of
excitement; Cook was saying that she had never regretted the inadequacy
of the kitchen arrangements of Sixty-four until this moment; and Annie
was bracing herself for the real effort, the opening of the door to
Madame Flauve. The only calm person was Stella who, clasping a rubber
doll with tight curly rubber hair and a stomachic squeak, chanted to
herself the saga of Madame Flauve's arrival.

At two minutes past ten Michael said somebody was coming up the steps,
and a ring confirmed his assertion. The door was opened. Madame Flauve
was heard rubbing her boots on the SALVE of the mat, was heard putting
away her umbrella in the peacock-blue china umbrella-stand, was heard
enquiring for Mrs. Fane and was announced inaudibly by Annie.

Michael's heart sank when he beheld a fat young French-woman with a
bilious complexion and little pig's eyes and a dowdy black mantle and a
common black hat. As for Nurse, she sniffed quite audibly and muttered
an insincere hope that Madame Flauve would find everything to her
liking. The governess answered in the thick voice of one who is always
swallowing jujubes that without a doubt she would find everything, and
presently Nurse left the ro