Miss Billy
Copyright© 2024 by Eleanor H. Porter
Chapter 9: A Family Conclave
“Well, William,” greeted Kate, grimly, when she came into the drawing-room, after putting her charge to bed, “have you had enough, now?”
“‘Enough’! What do you mean?”
Kate raised her eyebrows.
“Why, surely, you’re not thinking NOW that you can keep this girl here; are you?”
“I don’t know why not.”
“William!”
“Well, where shall she go? Will you take her?”
“I? Certainly not,” declared Kate, with decision. “I’m sure I see no reason why I should.”
“No more do I see why William should, either,” cut in Cyril.
“Oh, come, what’s the use,” interposed Bertram. “Let her stay. She’s a nice little thing, I’m sure.”
Cyril and Kate turned sharply.
“Bertram!” The cry was a duet of angry amazement. Then Kate added: “It seems that you, too, have come under the sway of dark eyes, pink cheeks, and an unknown quantity of curly hair!”
Bertram laughed.
“Oh, well, she would be nice to—er—paint,” he murmured.
“See here, children,” demurred William, a little sternly, “all this is wasting time. There is no way out of it. I wouldn’t be seen turning that homeless child away now. We must keep her; that’s settled. The question is, how shall it be done? We must have some woman friend here to be her companion, of course; but whom shall we get?”
Kate sighed, and looked her dismay. Bertram threw a glance into Cyril’s eyes, and made an expressive gesture.
“You see,” it seemed to say. “I told you how it would be!”
“Now whom shall we get?” questioned William again. “We must think.”
Unattached gentlewomen of suitable age and desirable temper did not prove to be so numerous among the Henshaws’ acquaintances, however, as to make the selection of a chaperon very easy. Several were thought of and suggested; but in each case the candidate was found to possess one or more characteristics that made the idea of her presence utterly abhorrent to some one of the brothers. At last William expostulated:
“See here, boys, we aren’t any nearer a settlement than we were in the first place. There isn’t any woman, of course, who would exactly suit all of us; and so we shall just have to be willing to take some one who doesn’t.”
“The trouble is,” explained Bertram, airily, “we want some one who will be invisible to every one except the world and Billy, and who will be inaudible always.”
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