"A-washin' yo' face en haid in de wash bowl, den climbin' intuh de
tub fo' tuh wash de rest. Dat's w'at I calls extravagantness." He
straightened up suddenly. "Now, sah, yo' clothes is all laid out
nice, sah. Is dar anyt'ing moah I kin do?"

"Nothing, Ephy--nothing. You've done everything a gentleman could
expect of his valet. So vamoose!"

"Huh?"

"Get out--take your leave--anything you want to call it, so you leave
me alone. I'm going to take a nap, and when I wake up I'll be as
hungry as a bear."

"Well, I reckon we kin jes' about satisfy dat appetite, chile. If
dar's anyt'ing mah Miss Betty hain't got in de way ob food, I hain't
nebber diskivered hit yet."

So Ephraim left Jim to his own devices, and went down to the
servants' quarters, where he literally talked the arms off of both
Chloe and Dinah, while Metty stood by with wide-open mouth, as he
listened to Ephraim's tale of his adventures in Canada.

In the meantime, Dorothy and Aunt Betty were in the former's big
front room, and the girl, too, was removing the stains of the
journey, keeping up an incessant chatter to Mrs. Calvert, the while.

"I was perfectly delighted with Oak Knowe," she said, "and most
particularly with your friend, the Bishop, who received me with open
arms--not figuratively, but literally, Aunt Betty--and gave me such a
good send-off to Miss Tross-Kingdon that I'm sure she became slightly
prepossessed in my favor."

Dorothy then told of her examination by Miss Hexam, and how well she
had gone through the ordeal, despite the fact that she had been
dreadfully nervous; her examination in music, and her introduction to
the other scholars; the antipathy, both felt and expressed for her by
Gwendolyn Borst-Kennard, a member of the British peerage, who led the
student body known as the "Peers"; of her introduction to the
"Commons," the largest and wildest set in the school, who were all
daughters of good families, but without rank or titles.

"And I can see my mischievous girl entering into the pranks of the
'Commons,'" smiled Aunt Betty. "I only hope you did not carry things
with a high hand and win the disapproval of Miss Tross-Kingdon."

"Occasionally we did," Dorothy was forced to admit. "But for the
most part the girls were a rollicking lot, going nearly to the
extreme limits of behavior when any fun promised, but keeping safely
within the rules. There is no doubt, Aunt Betty, but that Miss
Tross-Kingdon was secretly fonder of us