Mistress of Brown Furrows Read Online Free

Miss Hardcastle, and I certainly wouldn’ t worry my head over what she would think about anything you do, or are likely to do. Miss Hardcastle belongs to a section of your life which is behind you now, and she is certainly not concerned with your future. The present is something which concerns yourself.”
    “That sounds just a little bit—thrilling,” Carol murmured with a subdued sparkle in her eyes.
    “Well, it’ s true, don’ t forget and as for your former Headmistress, I have been through to her on the telephone this morning, and have explained yesterday afternoon’ s somewhat abrupt departure, and she is quite satisfied that you are in safe hands now. She sends you her very best wishes, and regrets missing an opportunity to make my acquaintance. But if she will take her baths at irregular hours what else can she expect? After all, you can’ t have everything in this world!”
    Carol laughed suddenly—a low, bubbling, girlish laugh.
    “I only said that I thought she might be taking a bath, but I couldn’ t be quite certain. But it must have struck you as rather funny.... A Headmistress in a bath!—”
    “Instead of the more usual study! ”
    His face reflected the amusement on hers.
    “And Miss Hardcastle is so prim and correct she would simply hate you to think that she—that she really was—” She broke off, giggling afresh.
    “Well, we won’ t embarrass Miss Hardcastle any further, for the time being at any rate,” he remarked, dismissing that lady with a wave of his hand. “And now let us get back to the subject of    today?”
    “There is one thing I really would like to do,” she confessed, after a moment, shyly.
    “Pay a visit to the Zoo?” he suggested, returning her regard with a smile in his eyes.
    “Oh, no!”
    “Visit the National Gallery? Madame Tussaud’ s, the Houses of Parliament—?”
    She shook her head.
    “Not searching after intellectual satisfaction of that sort?” he teased her. “Well, what is it that you do want to do?”
    “Visit the shops,” she said almost breathlessly. “I’ve never seen the London shops, although I’ve heard a lot about them. The girls used to rave about all the lovely things you can see, and buy if you’ve got the money, in the West-End stores, when they used to come back to Selbourne after a holiday in London with their parents. Some of them actually stayed in hotels like this, and went to theatres, and cinemas, and mannequin parades—”
    “And unsettled the rest of you when they got back to school! ” Timothy Carrington shook his head deprecatingly. “I know the sort of thing that goes on in young ladies’ boarding establishments—seminaries, as they used to be called! I suppose it’s what is known as the ‘eternal Eve’ finding its way to the surface, determined to force a way out. But if that is what you want, my dear, then to the shops we will go! ”
    “Oh, that is kind of you,” she told him, and there was no doubt about the gratitude in her voice.
    “Not at all, my child. And since we’re going to the shops we’d better make up our minds to spend some money. Not much sense in looking at things and not buying them—at least, some of them. And while we’re on the subject of shopping, I do feel that we ought to do something about that hat of yours, the one you were wearing yesterday.”
    “Why, didn’t you like it?” she asked, in surprise. “It’s a new hat.
    Miss Mackintosh thought it was quite a good felt, and although it doesn’t seem to fit awfully well, it’s a good, serviceable color. At least, Miss Mackintosh said so.”
    “Then Miss Mackintosh ought to be made to wear it. And I, personally, would like to see her wearing it! ” He stood up, smiling down at her bewildered face. “At a guess I should say that your Miss Mackintosh is short, fat, and forty, and that she always carries a waterproof and is never seen without her umbrella. Am I, or am I not, right?”
    Carol sounded quite awed as she