y bad
nengine, he did it all long."

"Damn!" said Hugo Tancred.

* * * * *

During dinner that night Jan talked continually about the children. She
consulted Hugo as to things in which he took not the smallest interest,
such as what primers he considered the best for earliest instruction in
reading, and whether he thought the Montessori method advantageous or
not.

As they sat over dessert he volunteered the remark that little Fay was
rather an exhausting child.

"All children are," Jan answered, "and I've just been thinking that
while you are here to help me, it would be such a good chance to give
Meg a little holiday. She has not had a day off since I came back from
India, and it would be so nice for her to go to Cheltenham for a few
days to see Major Morton."

"But surely," Hugo said uneasily, "that's what she's here for, to look
after the children. She's very highly paid; you could get a good nurse
for half what you pay her."

"I doubt it, and you must remember that, because she loved Fay, she is
accepting less than half of what she could earn elsewhere to help me
with Fay's children."

"Of course, if you import sentiment into the matter you must pay for
it."

"But I fear that's just what I don't do."

"My dear Jan, you must forgive me if I venture to think that both you
and your father, and even Fay, were quite absurd about Meg Morton. She's
a nice enough little girl, but nothing so very wonderful, and as for her
needing a holiday after a couple of months of the very soft job she has
with you ... that's sheer nonsense."

There was silence for a minute. Hugo took another chocolate and said,
"You know I don't believe in having children all over the place. The
nursery is the proper place for them when they're little, and school is
the proper place--most certainly the proper place, anyway, for a boy--as
soon as ever any school can be found to take him."

"I quite agree with you as to the benefit of a good school," Jan said
sweetly. "I am painfully conscious myself of how much I lost in never
having had any regular education. Have you thought yet what preparatory
school you'd prefer for Tony?"

"Hardly yet. I've not been home long enough, and, as you know, at
present, I've no money at all...."

"I shall be most pleased to help with Tony's education, but in that case
I should expect to have some voice in the school selected."

"Certainly, certainly," Hugo agreed. "But w