Edgar Jepson

“ Borrodaile, "I don't lay much weight on her frank openness. I prefer Lady Felicia's version of what happened. We know that she tells the truth; and we have no reason to believe that telling the truth is a German habit. I have very little doubt, indeed, that the Lady Felicia is responsible for the misfortunes which befell the Princess Wilhelmina; but I am quite sure that she was not the active agent in bringing them upon that child's luckless head. She did not throw her into the pond. ”

“ And all the inking that was done, the Princess Wilhelmina did herself. In the matter of the poodles, she pleaded guilty. But, after all, she did not hurt the dogs. And if people will leave children alone with poodles, and clippers, and ponds, and ink, they can only expect such results. They insisted, with untiring pertinacity, on having their Lady Felicia undiluted; and they've only themselves to blame that she proved too strong for them. Had Miss Caldecott gone with her, as you proposed, there would have been none of this trouble. ”

“ The Prime Minister had only time to observe that the large, round lady was flushed and almost stertorous, so heavily was she breathing, when his niece was embracing him with that extravagant show of affection which is not infrequently the effect of a consciousness of guilt in the womanly heart. ”

“ Borrodaile, taking advantage of the fact that the violence of her emotion had reduced the baroness to a passing silence.
"It was not my fault, except, of course, about the poodles. And really they did not look so foreign," said the Lady Noggs, voluble but hardly lucid. "Princess Wilhelmina was gathering water-lilies, and she fell into the pond quite all herself. Anybody might. And I didn't ink her. She inked herself. She was only making black patterns on the table-cloth. The table-cloth was red."
"An admirable reason," said Mr. Borrodaile. ”

“ He was pleased with the wire, and he felt sure that it was worded strongly enough to give Miss Caldecott the excuse she must be needing so badly to escape at once from her uncle's roof. Beresford Caldecott enjoyed the unchallenged reputation of being the worst-tempered man in Europe; and only a somewhat insistent sense of duty ever brought his niece to his house. As a rule, that sense of duty could not keep her in it for more than a fortnight at a time.
Having dispatched the telegram, Mr. Borrodaile thought it well to strengthen his plea for aid by a letter ”

“ It is less satisfactory to write than to talk to the object of one's respectful admiration, but it is better than nothing at all. The letter was not easy to write, because, though he had never made any secret of his admiration, Miss Caldecott had always eluded or checked his attempts to express it. ”

“ Borrodaile. "Apparently, the princess lost her temper at the sight of the shorn poodles, and tried to box Nog—Lady Felicia's ears."
"Well," said the Prime Minister, "the sooner Miss Caldecott comes back, the better. You have her address? I hope she'll be able to come back at once."
"Since she's staying with that impossible uncle of hers, the South American millionaire, I should think she'd be glad of an excuse to get away.
"Ah, yes; Beresford Caldecott. A terrible person!" said the Prime Minister. "You'd better wire to her at once. ”