Page 111 (1/2)

The long and the short of it all is that next day the Fynes made up their

minds to take into their confidence a certain wealthy old lady With

certain old ladies the passing years bring back a sort of , an opti for novelty,

readiness for experiment The old lady was very !" She was accordingly allowed to see Flora de

Barral in Mrs Fyne's drawing-room on a day when there was no one else

there, and she preached to her with char, sympathetic authority: "The

only way to deal with our troubles, et yours It's very siht to be cheerful"

Later on when left alone with Mrs Fyne she said to that lady: "I do hope

the child will e to be cheerful I can't have sad faces near e one needs cheerful companions"

And in this hope she carried off Flora de Barral to Bournemouth for the

winter months in the quality of reader and companion She had said to

her with kindly jocularity: "We shall have a good tiruht Mrs

Fyne at once She had discovered that Flora was not naturally cheerful