ure, while others merely
bored or exasperated or were positively painful.

His highest praise was "I like to look at it." When he didn't like to
look at it, he had found it wiser to express no opinion at all, except
in moments of confidential expansion, and these were rare with Tony.

Meg had found them a nice little furnished flat on the fifth floor in
one of the blocks behind Kensington High Street, and Hannah must surely
have been waiting behind the door, so instantaneously was it opened,
when Jan and her party left the lift.

There were tears in Hannah's eyes and her nose was red as she welcomed
"Miss Fay's motherless bairns." She was rather shocked that there was no
sign of mourning about any of them except Jan, who wore--mainly as a
concession to Hannah's prejudices--a thin black coat and skirt she had
got just before she left Bombay.

Tony stared stonily at Hannah and decided he did not like to look at
her. She was as surprising as the newly-found Piccadilly, but she
gratified no sensuous perception whatsoever.

Ayah might not be exactly beautiful, but she was harmonious. Her body
was well proportioned, her sari fell in gracious flowing lines, and she
moved with dignity. Without knowing why, Tony felt that there was
something pleasing to the eye in Ayah. Hannah, on the contrary, was the
reverse of graceful; stumpy and heavy-footed, she gave an impression of
abrupt terminations. Everything about her seemed too short except her
caps, which were unusually tall and white and starchy. Her afternoon
aprons, too, were stiffer and whiter and more voluminous than those of
other folk. She did not regard these things as vain adornings of her
person, rather were they the outward and visible sign of her office as
housekeeper to Miss Ross. They were a partial expression of the dignity
of that office, just as a minister's gown is the badge of his.

By the time everyone was washed and brushed Meg returned with the
luggage and Hannah brought in tea.

"I thought you'd like to give the bairns their tea yourself the first
day, Miss Jan. Will that Hindu body have hers in the nursery?"

"That would be best," Jan said hastily. "And Hannah, you mustn't be
surprised if she sits on the floor. Indian servants always do."

"_Nothing_ she can do will surprise me," Hannah announced loftily. "I've
not forgotten the body that came back with Mrs. Tancred, with a ring
through her nose and a red wafer on her forehead."

Jan, herself, we