Part 30 (2/2)

Frances Freeland answered, with a touch of deprecating quizzicality:

”Oh yes, darling. I must show you my arrangements.” And she rose.

”This,” she said, ”you see, goes under there, and that under here; and that again goes under this. Then they all go under that, and then I pull this. It's lovely.”

”But why?” said Felix.

”Oh! but don't you see? It's so nice; n.o.body can tell. And it doesn't give any trouble.”

”And when you go to bed?”

”Oh! I just pop my clothes into this and open that. And there I am. It's simply splendid.”

”I see,” said Felix. ”Do you think I might sit down, or shall I go through?”

Frances Freeland loved him with her eyes, and said:

”Naughty boy!”

And Felix sat down on what appeared to be a window-seat.

”Well,” he said, with slight uneasiness, for she was hovering, ”I think you're wonderful.”

Frances Freeland put away an impeachment that she evidently felt to be too soft.

”Oh! but it's all so simple, darling.” And Felix saw that she had something in her hand, and mind.

”This is my little electric brush. It'll do wonders with your hair.

While you sit there, I'll just try it.”

A clicking and a whirring had begun to occur close to his ear, and something darted like a gadfly at his scalp.

”I came to tell you something serious, Mother.”

”Yes, darling; it'll be simply lovely to hear it; and you mustn't mind this, because it really is a first-rate thing--quite new.”

Now, how is it, thought Felix, that any one who loves the new as she does, when it's made of matter, will not even look at it when it's made of mind? And, while the little machine buzzed about his head, he proceeded to detail to her the facts of the state of things that existed at Joyfields.

When he had finished, she said:

”Now, darling, bend down a little.”

Felix bent down. And the little machine began severely tweaking the hairs on the nape of his neck. He sat up again rather suddenly.

Frances Freeland was contemplating the little machine.

”How very provoking! It's never done that before!”

”Quite so!” Felix murmured. ”But about Joyfields?”

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