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"'Hampshire. Charming rural place. The Copper Beeches, five miles

on the far side of Winchester. It is the most lovely country, my

dear young lady, and the dearest old country-house.'

"'And my duties, sir? I should be glad to know what they would

be.'

"'One child-one dear little romper just six years old. Oh, if you

could see him killing cockroaches with a slipper! Smack! smack!

smack! Three gone before you could wink!' He leaned back in his

chair and laughed his eyes into his head again.

"I was a little startled at the nature of the child's amusement,

but the father's laughter made me think that perhaps he was

joking.

"'My sole duties, then,' I asked, 'are to take charge of a single

child?'

"'No, no, not the sole, not the sole, my dear young lady,' he

cried. 'Your duty would be, as I am sure your good sense would

suggest, to obey any little commands my wife might give, provided

always that they were such commands as a lady might with

propriety obey. You see no difficulty, heh?'