For her part, she was entirely9 happy; she had been so long starved of care and affection that, now she had them, she wanted nothing more; they filled her life.
Taking his responsibility thus seriously, Tinker was greatly exercised in mind whether he should get her a maid or a governess; he could not afford both. Elsie, with absolute conviction, declared that she needed neither; that all she wanted was someone to brush her hair, and she was sure that he did that far better than anyone else would.
Tinker shook his head. "One has to be educated, don't you know?" he said. "Look at me."
It was one of his weaknesses to cherish the conviction that in the matter of learning he lacked nothing, though had he been confronted by even the vulgarest fraction, he would have been quite helpless.
Having at last made up his mind, he sought out Sir Tancred, and said with a very serious air, "I've been thinking it over, sir, and I've come to the conclusion that I ought to get Elsie a governess."
"My dear Tinker," said his father, "if you add to our household at your present rate, I foresee myself buying a caravan10, and traversing Europe in state."
"Like a circus," said Tinker, brightening. "It would be great fun—for a while. I think," he added thoughtfully, "that I could brighten Europe up a bit."
"I do not doubt it," said Sir Tancred politely.
"Well, you see, sir, it's like this," said Tinker. "When I adopted Elsie you said that I was to take all responsibility; and I think I ought to look after her education; it's no good adopting sisters by halves."
"You are right, of course," said Sir Tancred. "But I'm sorry for you. For a boy of nearly twelve, your knowledge of the things taught by governesses is small. Your spelling, now, it is—shall we say phonetic11?"
"I don't think a gentleman ought to spell too well any more than he ought to speak French with too good an accent," said Tinker firmly.
"There's a good deal in what you say," said Sir Tancred. "But I'm afraid that when Elsie has learnt geography, say, the position of Schleswig-Holstein and Roumania and Leeds, and other such places to which we should never dream of going, she might look down on you for only knowing the towns on the great railways of Europe and America, and the steamer routes of the world."
"She might. But I don't think she's like that, though, of course, with a girl you never can tell. I think it's more likely she would want to teach me where they are. But she ought to be educated, and I must chance it."
"Well, if you ought, you must," said Sir Tancred. "But one thing I do beg of you; do not have her taught the piano—the barrel-organ if you like, but not the piano."
"No; I won't. A piano would be so awkward to move about—it would want a van to itself."
"I was thinking, rather, of the peculiar13 noises it makes in the hands of the inexperienced," said Sir Tancred.
"I know," said Tinker in a tone of genuine sympathy.
Tinker went to Elsie, whom he had left in the gardens of the Casino, and told her that his father had given him leave to get her a governess. On hearing that the matter was so near accomplishment14, her face fell, and she said, "Don't—don't you think I ought to help choose her?"
"It wouldn't be regular," said Tinker firmly.
After déjeuner he caught a train to Nice, and went straight to Madame Butler, that stay of those who seek maids, companions, nurses, or governesses on the Riviera. He sent in his card, and was straightway ushered15 into the office where she received her clients. She was sitting at a desk, and by one of the windows sat a very pretty young lady, who looked as if she were waiting to interview a possible employee. A certain surprise showed itself on the face of Madame Butler at the sight of Tinker; she had plainly expected a client of more mature years.
Tinker bowed, and sat down in the chair by the desk in which clients sat and set forth16 their needs.
"You wished to see me—on business?" said Madame Butler with some hesitation17.
"Yes," said Tinker. "I want a governess for my sister—my adopted sister. I'm responsible for her, and I've decided18 that she must be educated. I told my father, Sir Tancred Beauleigh, and he gave me leave to get her a governess. So I came to you."
"Yes," said Madame Butler, smiling, "and what kind of a governess do you want?"
The pretty young lady, who had been regarding Tinker with smiling interest, turned away with the proper delicacy19, and looked out of the window.
Tinker's face wore a very serious, almost anxious, air. "I've worked it out carefully," he said. "Elsie's ten years old, two years younger than I am, and there is no need for her governess to have degrees or certificates or that kind of thing. She will only have to teach her to write nicely and do sums—not fractions, of course—useful sums, and some needlework, and look after her when I'm not about. So I want a lady, young, and English; and I should like her to be a bit of a sportswoman, don't you know. I mean," he added in careful explanation, "I should like her to be cheerful and good-natured, and not fussy20 about the things that really don't matter."
"I think I know the kind of governess you want," said Madame Butler. She ran her eye over two or three pages of her ledger21 and added, "But I'm very much afraid that I haven't one of that kind on my books at present."
"That's a pity," said Tinker. "Should I have long to wait?"
"I'm afraid you might. People chiefly want ladles with certificates and degrees, so the others don't offer themselves."
The pretty young lady turned from the window with the quickness of one suddenly making up her mind.
"How should I do?" she said in a charming voice.
Madame Butler turned towards her quickly with raised eyebrows22, but said nothing. Tinker turned, too, and his face lighted up with an angelic smile. He looked at the pretty young lady carefully, and then at the pretty young lady's tailor-made gown, and the smile faded out of his face.
"I'm afraid," he said sorrowfully, "you would be too expensive."
"What salary were you thinking of giving?" she said with a brisk, businesslike directness.
"Thirty pounds a year," said Tinker; and then he added hastily, "Of course it's very little; but really the work would be quite light, and we should try and make things pleasant for her."
"But surely, for a governess without certificates, that is a very good salary; isn't it, Madame Butler?"
"It is, indeed," said Madame Butler.
"It can't be, really," said Tinker. "But I suppose people are mean."
"Well, it would satisfy me," said the pretty young lady. "But unfortunately I am an American, and you want an Englishwoman."
"I only don't want a foreigner," said Tinker. "I should be awfully23 pleased if you would take the post."
"The pleasure will be mine," said the pretty young lady. "And about references? I'm afraid I cannot get them in less than ten days."
"Pardon," said Tinker. "Your face, if you will excuse my saying so, is reference enough."
The pretty young lady flushed with pleasure, and said, "That is very nice of you, but your father might think them necessary."
"This is my show—I mean, this matter is entirely in my hands; I look after Elsie altogether. And I think we might consider it settled. My name is Hildebrand Anne Beauleigh."
"Oh, you are the boy who borrowed the flying-machine!"
Tinker was charmed that she should take the right view of the matter; he found that so many people, including the bulk of the English, American, and Continental24 Press, were disposed, in an unintelligent way, to regard him as having stolen it.
"Yes," he said.
"My name is Dorothy Rayner."
"Rayner," said Tinker with sudden alertness. "There is an American millionaire called Rainer."
"I spell my name with a y," said Dorothy quickly.
Madame Butler once more raised her eyebrows.
"Well, when will you come to us? We are staying at the Hôtel des Princes at Monte Carlo."
"To-day is Wednesday. Shall we say Saturday morning?"
"Yes, that will do very well. Oh, by the way, I was quite forgetting—about music."
"I'm afraid," said Dorothy, and her face fell, "I can't teach music."
"That's all right," said Tinker cheerfully. "My father was terribly afraid that anyone I got would want to."
He explained to Dorothy their nomadic25 fashion of life, paid Madame Butler her fee, bade them good-bye, and went his way.
On his return he found Elsie full of anxious curiosity, but his account of his find set her mind at rest. He ended by saying, "It will be awfully nice for you, don't you know? She looked as though she would let you kiss her as often as you wanted to."
"But I shall kiss you just the same, night and morning," said Elsie firmly.
"Of course, of course," said Tinker quickly, and by a manful effort he kept the brightness in his face.
He told his father that he had found a governess.
"References all right?" said Sir Tancred.
"Yes, she carries them about with her," said Tinker diplomatically.
"I suppose I ought to see them, don't you think?"
"You will," said Tinker.
On her arrival on Saturday morning Dorothy found the children awaiting her on the steps of the hotel; and to Tinker's extreme satisfaction, she at once kissed Elsie. When she had been taken to her room, which was next to Elsie's, and her trunks had been brought up, it was time to go to déjeuner, and Tinker conducted her to the restaurant. They found Sir Tancred and Lord Crosland already at table; they rose at the sight of Dorothy, and Tinker introduced them to her gravely. Sir Tancred was naturally surprised at being suddenly confronted by a startling vision of beauty, when he had expected an ordinary young fresh-coloured, good-natured Englishwoman. But for all the change worked in his face by that surprise he might have been confronted by a vision of corkscrew curls. Lord Crosland, however, so far forgot the proper dignity of a peer as to kick Tinker gently under the table. Tinker looked at him with a pained and disapproving26 air.
Dorothy was even more surprised by the sight of Sir Tancred. She had given the matter little thought, but had supposed that she would find Tinker's father a sedate27 man of some fifty summers. When she found him a young man of thirty, and exceedingly handsome and distinguished28 at that, she was invaded by no slight doubt as to the wisdom of indulging the spirit of whim29 which had led her to take the post of Tinker's governess, without going a little more into the matter. This uneasiness made her at first somewhat constrained30; but Sir Tancred and Lord Crosland contrived31 soon to put her at her ease, and presently she was taking her part in the talk without an effort.
When she went away with the children, Lord Crosland lighted a cigarette, and said thoughtfully, "Well, Tinker has made a find. She is a lady."
"I should be inclined to say gentlewoman," said Sir Tancred. "Lady is a word a trifle in disrepute; there are so many of them, and so various, don't you know."
"Gentlewoman be it," said Lord Crosland. "But he's a wonderful young beggar for getting hold of the right thing. What a beautiful creature she is!"
"She is beautiful," said Sir Tancred grudgingly32.
"Woman-hater! Va!" said Lord Crosland.
Dorothy found herself admitted to a frank intimacy33 in this little circle into which whim had led her. She spent most of her time with the children. She gave Elsie two hours' lessons a day, and, since she had a knack34 of making them interesting, Tinker often enjoyed the benefit of her teaching. After lessons she shared most of their amusements, and learned to be a pirate, a brigand, an English sailor, a Boer, and every kind of captive and conspirator35. Since she occupied some of Elsie's time, Tinker had once more leisure for mischief; and Dorothy rarely tried to restrain his fondness for pulling the legs of his fellow-creatures, for she found that he had the happiest knack of choosing such fellow-creatures as would be benefited, morally, by the operation. But she was a check upon his more reckless moods, and kept him from one or two outrageous36 pranks37.
For his part, he found the responsibility of looking after her and Elsie not a little sobering; and he was quite alive to the fact that at Monte Carlo, that place of call of the adventurers of the world, one's womankind need a protecting male presence. Quietly and unobtrusively Sir Tancred seconded him in this matter; if Dorothy had the fancy to take the air in the gardens after dinner, she found that he or Lord Crosland, or both of them, deserted39 the tables till she went back to the hotel, and strolled with her and the children. She was growing very friendly with the two men, and beginning to take a far deeper interest in Sir Tancred than she would have cared to admit even to herself. His face of Lucifer, Son of the Morning, his perfect thoughtfulness, his unfailing gentle politeness, his melancholy40 and his very coldness, attracted her; and always watching him, she had now and again a glimpse of the possibilities of energy and passion which underlay41 the mask of his languor42. At times, too, her woman's intuition assured her that, for all his dislike, or rather distaste, of women, she attracted him.
Unfortunately, but naturally, Sir Tancred and Lord Crosland were not the only men who found her beautiful. Monsieur le Comte Sigismond de Puy-de-Dôme, hero of many duels43 and more scandals, and darling of the Nationalist Press, also saw her beauty. With him to see was to act, and he never passed her without a conquering twirl of his waxed moustache, and a staring leer which he fondly believed to be a glance
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