in them a
feeling that I have a shadowy sort of relationship in the whole thing,
and with regard to their bad roofs and bad chimneys, to their broken
palings, and damp floors, to their comforts and discomforts, a sort of
responsibility. That is the whole thing, and you--just you, father--will
understand me when I say that I actually like it. I might not like it
if I were poor Rosy, but, being myself, I love it. There is something
patriarchal in it which moves me.

"Is it an abounding and arrogant delight in power which makes it appeal
to me, or is it something better? To feel that every man on the
land, every woman, every child knew one, counted on one's honour and
friendship, turned to one believingly in time of stress, to know that
one could help and be a finely faithful thing, the very knowledge of
it would give one vigour and warm blood in the veins. I wish I had been
born to it, I wish the first sounds falling on my newborn ears had been
the clanging of the peal from an old Norman church tower, calling out
to me, 'Welcome; newcomer of our house, long life among us! Welcome!'
Still, though the first sounds that greeted me were probably the
rattling of a Fifth Avenue stage, I have brought them SOMETHING, and
who knows whether I could have brought it from without the range of that
prosaic, but cheerful, rattle."

The rest of the letter was detail of a business-like order. A large
envelope contained the detail-notes of things to be done, notes
concerning roofs, windows, flooring, park fences, gardens, greenhouses,
tool houses, potting sheds, garden walls, gates, woodwork, masonry.
Sharp little sketches, such as Buttle had seen, notes concerning Buttle,
Fox, Tread, Kedgers, and less accomplished workmen; concerning wages
of day labourers, hours, capabilities. Buttle, if he had chanced to see
them, would have broken into a light perspiration at the idea of a young
woman having compiled the documents. He had never heard of the first
Reuben Vanderpoel.

Her father's reply to Betty was as long as her own to him, and gave her
keen pleasure by its support, both of sympathetic interest and practical
advice. He left none of her points unnoted, and dealt with each of them
as she had most hoped and indeed had felt she knew he would. This was
his final summing up:

"If you had been a boy, and I own I am glad you were not--a man wants a
daughter--I should have been quite willing to allow you your flutter on
Wall Street, or you