She was far too angry to think, but lay there for perhaps twenty
minutes with her brain whirling. Finally rising, she brushed up her
hair, straightened her collar, and, full of tremendous resolves,
stepped into her little sitting room, to find Mrs. Carr-Boldt in the
big chair, serenely eyeing her.

"I'm so sorry I spoke so, Peggy," said her employer, generously. "But
the truth is, I am not myself when--when Mr. Carr-Boldt--" The little
hesitating appeal in her voice completely disarmed Margaret. In the
end the little episode cemented the rapidly growing friendship between
the two women, Mrs. Carr-Boldt seeming to enjoy the relief of speaking
rather freely of what was the one real trial in her life.

"My husband has always had too much money," she said, in her positive
way. "At one time we were afraid that he would absolutely ruin his
health by this--habit of his. His physician and I took him around the
world,--I left Victoria, just a baby, with mother,--and for too years
he was never out of my sight. It has never been so bad since. You know
yourself how reliable he usually is," she finished cheerfully, "unless
some of the other men get hold of him!"

As the months went on Margaret came to admire her employer more and
more. There was not an indolent impulse in Mrs. Carr-Boldt's entire
composition. Smooth-haired, fresh-skinned, in spotless linen, she
began the day at eight o'clock, full of energy and interest. She had
daily sessions with butler and house-keeper, shopped with Margaret and
the children, walked about her greenhouse or her country garden with
her skirts pinned up, and had tulips potted and stone work continued.
She was prominent in several clubs, a famous dinner-giver, she took a
personal interest in all her servants, loved to settle their quarrels
and have three or four of them up on the carpet at once, tearful and
explanatory. Margaret kept for her a list of some two hundred friends,
whose birthdays were to be marked with carefully selected gifts. She
pleased Mrs. Carr-Boldt by her open amazement at the latter's
vitality. The girl observed that her employer could not visit any
institution without making a few vigorous suggestions as she went
about, she accompanied her cheques to the organized charities--and her
charity flowed only through absolutely reliable channels--with little
friendly, advisory letters. She liked the democratic attitude for
herself,--even while promptly snubbing any such tendency in