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488 THE ADVENTURES OF PHILIP
bedroom close by the quarters inhabited by our own children.
My wife pleased herself by adorning this chamber, and Uncle Mac
happening to come to London on business about this time, the
young lady came over to us under his convoy, and I should like
to describe the meeting between her and Mr. Philip in our parlour.
No doubt it was very edifying. But my wife and I were not
present, vous concevez. We only heard one shout of surprise and
delight from Philip as he went into the room where the young lady
was waiting. We had but said, " Go into the parlour, Philip. You
will find your old friend Major Mac there. He has come to
London on business, and has news of _________ " There was no need
to speak, for here Philip straightway bounced into the room.
And then came the shout. And then out came Major Mac,
with such a droll twinkle in his eyes ! What artifices and hypocrisies
had we not to practise previously, so as to keep our secret
from our children, who assuredly would have discovered it! I
must tell you that the paterfamilias had guarded against the
innocent prattle and inquiries of the children regarding the preparation
of the little bedroom, by informing them that it was intended
for Miss Grigsby, the governess with whose advent they had long
been threatened. And one of our girls when the unconscious Philip
arrived, said, "Philip, if you go into the parlour, you will find
Miss Grigsby, the governess, there." And then Philip entered into
that parlour, and then arose that shout, and then out came Uncle
Mac, and then, &c. &c. And we called Charlotte Miss Grigsby
all dinner-time ; and we called her Miss Grigsby next day, and the
more we called her Miss Grigsby the more we all laughed. And
the baby, who could not speak plain yet, called her Miss Gibby,
and laughed loudest of all; and it was such fun. But I think
Philip and Charlotte had the best of the fun, my dears, though they
may not have laughed quite so loud as we did.
As for Mrs. Brandon, who, you may be sure, speedily came
to pay us a visit, Charlotte blushed, and looked quite beautiful
when she went up and kissed the Little Sister. " He have told you
about me, then !" she said, in her soft little voice, smoothing the
young lady's brown hair. " Should I have known him at all but
for you, and did you not save his life for me when he was ill ?"
asked Miss Baynes. "And mayn't I love everybody who loves
him ?" she asked. And we left these women alone for a quarter
of an hour, during which they became the most intimate friends in
the world. And all our household, great and small, including the
nurse (a woman of a most jealous, domineering, and uncomfortable
fidelity), thought well of our gentle young guest, and welcomed
Miss Grigsby.