Part 18 (2/2)

”Pardon,” said Tinker. ”Your face, if you will excuse my saying so, is reference enough.”

The pretty young lady flushed with pleasure, and said, ”That is very nice of you, but your father might think them necessary.”

”This is my show--I mean, this matter is entirely in my hands; I look after Elsie altogether. And I think we might consider it settled. My name is Hildebrand Anne Beauleigh.”

”Oh, you are the boy who borrowed the flying-machine!”

Tinker was charmed that she should take the right view of the matter; he found that so many people, including the bulk of the English, American, and Continental Press, were disposed, in an unintelligent way, to regard him as having stolen it.

”Yes,” he said.

”My name is Dorothy Rayner.”

”Rayner,” said Tinker with sudden alertness. ”There is an American millionaire called Rainer.”

”I spell my name with a _y_,” said Dorothy quickly.

Madame Butler once more raised her eyebrows.

”Well, when will you come to us? We are staying at the Hotel des Princes at Monte Carlo.”

”To-day is Wednesday. Shall we say Sat.u.r.day morning?”

”Yes, that will do very well. Oh, by the way, I was quite forgetting--about music.”

”I'm afraid,” said Dorothy, and her face fell, ”I can't teach music.”

”That's all right,” said Tinker cheerfully. ”My father was terribly afraid that anyone I got would want to.”

He explained to Dorothy their nomadic fas.h.i.+on of life, paid Madame Butler her fee, bade them good-bye, and went his way.

On his return he found Elsie full of anxious curiosity, but his account of his find set her mind at rest. He ended by saying, ”It will be awfully nice for you, don't you know? She looked as though she would let you kiss her as often as you wanted to.”

”But I shall kiss you just the same, night and morning,” said Elsie firmly.

”Of course, of course,” said Tinker quickly, and by a manful effort he kept the brightness in his face.

He told his father that he had found a governess.

”References all right?” said Sir Tancred.

”Yes, she carries them about with her,” said Tinker diplomatically.

”I suppose I ought to see them, don't you think?”

”You will,” said Tinker.

On her arrival on Sat.u.r.day morning Dorothy found the children awaiting her on the steps of the hotel; and to Tinker's extreme satisfaction, she at once kissed Elsie. When she had been taken to her room, which was next to Elsie's, and her trunks had been brought up, it was time to go to dejeuner, and Tinker conducted her to the restaurant. They found Sir Tancred and Lord Crosland already at table; they rose at the sight of Dorothy, and Tinker introduced them to her gravely. Sir Tancred was naturally surprised at being suddenly confronted by a startling vision of beauty, when he had expected an ordinary young fresh-coloured, good-natured Englishwoman. But for all the change worked in his face by that surprise he might have been confronted by a vision of corkscrew curls. Lord Crosland, however, so far forgot the proper dignity of a peer as to kick Tinker gently under the table. Tinker looked at him with a pained and disapproving air.

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