run over her and inveigle her into childish
games and call her "Loshie" (a disrespectful mode of address which I had
all the pains in the world in persuading Barbara to permit) and
generally treat her as an animate instrument of entertainment, we
smoothed down every obstacle that might lie in this particular path to
beatitude. So many difficulties were solved. Not only were we spared the
problem of what the deuce to do with Liosha during the daytime, but also
Barbara was able to send the nurse away for a short and much needed
holiday. Of course Barbara herself undertook all practical duties; but
when she discovered that Liosha experienced primitive delight in
bathing Susan--Susan's bath being a heathen rite in which ducks and fish
and swimming women and horrible spiders played orgiac parts, and in
getting up at seven in the morning--("Good God! Is there such an hour?"
asked Adrian, when he heard about it)--in order to breakfast with Susan,
and in dressing and undressing her and brushing her hair, and in
tramping for miles by her side while with Basset, her vassal, in
attendance, Susan rode out on her pony; when Barbara, in short, became
aware of this useful infatuation, she pandered to it, somewhat
shamelessly, all the time, however, keeping an acute eye on the zealous
amateur. If, for instance, Liosha had picked a bushel of nectarines and
had established herself with Susan, in the corner of the fruit garden,
for a debauch, which would have had, for consequence, a child's funeral,
Barbara, by some magic of motherhood, sprang from the earth in front of
them with her funny little smile and her "Only one--and a very ripe
one--for Susan, dear Liosha." And in these matters Liosha was as much
overawed by Barbara as was Susan.

This, I repeat, was a good sign in Liosha. I don't say that she would
have fallen captive to any ordinary child, but Susan being my child was
naturally different from the vulgar run of children. She was _rarissinia
avis_ in the lands of small girls--one of the few points on which
Barbara and I are in unclouded agreement. No one could have helped
falling captive to Susan. But, I admit, in the case of Liosha, who was
an out-of-the-way, incalculable sort of creature--it was a good sign.
Perhaps, considering the short period during which I had her under close
observation, it was the best sign. She had grievous faults.

One evening, while I was dressing for dinner, Barbara burst into my
dressing-room.

"