THREE:
THREE:
THREE:Foolish, idle cry, and meant for no more, by a heart on fire with temptations of which I knew nothing. But then and there my poor adolescent soul found out that the preceptive stuff of which it had built its treasure-house and citadel was not fire-proof.
TWO:Im getting spoiled here, he said, all you dear ladies of Bracebridge positively spoil me with your altar-cloths and our extra cups of tea. Im getting too comfortable. And heres Miss Alice with{103} a cigarette at my elbow. But I dont know whether its allowed. Have one with me, Miss Alice, and then your mother will have to scold us both, and I know shes too fond of you to scold you.She had frozen into the perfect secretary. With incredible speed she had the sheaf of letters before him, and with her writing pad in her hand awaited his dictation. Twice during the next hour she, with downcast eyes, corrected some error of his, once producing an impeccable file to show him{117} that a week before he had demanded a reduction on certain wholesale terms, once to set him right in a date regarding previous correspondence. She had been five minutes late that morning, but she had saved him fifty in future correspondence. She seemed to know her files by heart: it was idle to challenge her for proof when she made a correction.












