After her return from one particular morning's outing she sent
for Dowie.
"You have taken care of Miss Robin since she was a little child?"
she began.
"She was not quite six when I first went to her, your grace."
"You are not of the women who only feed and bathe a child and keep
her well dressed. You have been a sort of mother to her."
"I've tried to, your grace. I've loved her and watched over her
and she's loved me, I do believe."
"That is why I want to talk to you about her, Dowie. If you were
the woman who merely comes and goes in a child's life, I could
not. She is--a very beautiful young thing, Dowie."
"From her little head to her slim bits of feet, your grace. No
one knows better than I do."
The Duchess' renowned smile revealed itself.
"A beautiful young thing ought to see and know other beautiful young
things and make friends with them. That is one of the reasons for
their being put in the world. Since she has been with me she has
spoken to no one under forty. Has she never had young friends?"
"Never, your grace. Once two--young baggages--were left to have
tea with her and they talked to her about divorce scandals and
corespondents. She never wanted to see them again." Dowie's face
set itself in lines of perfectly correct inexpressiveness and she
added, "They set her asking me questions I couldn't answer. And
she broke down because she suddenly understood why.
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