Now, do you know, I felt so certain what she _wanted_ me to suggest that it was on the tip of my tongue to read her one of those abominable advertisements in the morning papers: "_A Lady of Title is willing to chaperon a young girl; introductions..._" and so forth and so on. People putting any position they may have up to _auction_! Are you surprised that London is _what_ it is? I have always wondered, when I see the really and truly _inexplicable_ young women with whom Connie Maitland is _liée_ from time to time, whether _she_ augments her income in this way. Otherwise I fail to understand how she keeps on that great house in Eaton Place and entertains as she does. But that is _her_ business... If Mrs. Surdan had dared to propose such a thing, I really think I should have asked her to leave the house... "Surely," I said, "_you_ are the best person to look after Hilda. I go out very little; but, so far as I can judge, there is never any difficulty about getting to know people in London. If you were to take a house in some good neighbourhood and entertain a certain amount--" "I should only be a handicap to Hilda," she interrupted. Do you know, I thought that _dear_ of her... It is the Lancashire "burr", is it not? She had that--not disagreeably, but it was there. And her directness, never rounding the edge of anything she said... The girl, you will find, has been polished without being made genteel. If you catch them young, a good school ... or a governess whose ear has been trained to detect and suppress those tell-tale oddities of speech... But you don't often find a mother with the wisdom to recognize that and keep herself out of sight... "I don't know _what_ to recommend," I said. "It would be no kindness to ask her to stay here. I am a dull old woman; there are no girls to keep her company; and my husband and I have long found that, in entertaining, it is useless to compete with those who think in pounds when we are forced to think in pennies." "I should like Hilda to enjoy herself," said Mrs. Surdan. "If some one entertained on her behalf... I should like her to be given a ball, for instance... But, of course, it wouldn't be fair to ask _you_." "It wouldn't be fair on Hilda," I said. "May Hilda's parents not judge of that?," she asked. A woman with a quite _conquering_ smile... I wish you had met her. It was really like a struggle not to be first through the door... "If Hilda would _care_ to come," I said at length, "as my _guest_..." "I can never thank you enough," said Mrs. Surdan. "She is very tractable. Young, of course... And inexperienced about money..." The best method of control, she thought, would be for me to suggest a sum which would cover all her expenses of every kind and for her husband to pay that into my account... "Hilda's pocket-money," we agreed to call it... It seemed an admirable arrangement, but then Mrs. Surdan has the _practical_ brain of a man in some ways...