came along. They captured dad for mother as they captured men for every daughter but poor Aunt Maud. That failure must have cost them some sad hours. Well, to come to me. Goodness knows what happened to me when I was an egg, but I got a queer poke from somewhere. Do you ever try to account for yourself?”
“Quite often,” he smiled. “Go on, I’m awfully interested.”
Feeling that he really was, Valerie loosened up as she went on. It seemed a long while since she had had someone to talk to. He puffed contentedly at his pipe, nodding occasionally, turning his face to her and smiling as she got more worked up with her story.
“Well, I was the third child, all girls to dad’s disgust. But he always said I was a mistake in form. And then I had a queer twist. I couldn’t believe the things that were told me. Something used to come up in my throat and say it was all wrong. And I had a most awful temper. I don’t know what would have happened to me but for dad and the servants, because I couldn’t stick the things the others did. And it was a fight. I was always being sent to bed without food, and the governess was always sneaking it up to me, God bless her! And I was always running out with my woes to the gardener. He was Irish, God bless him! I’m afraid I had no class loyalty. My best friends were the servants. It was better when I learned to play the piano and could read. And then dad got horses and the yacht, and the Lorrimers came to live next door. Bob and his sister had my kind of disease, too, in those days, and we had a conspiracy of our own. And there was a lot that was glorious. We had a beautiful place. You know that point in Remuera with a lot of pines out on the end. And I used to sit on the rocks there and watch the seagulls and dream of London and of living
