"I am the new governess for Miss Alicia Pegg," I said with what dignity
I could muster under the circumstances. "Mr. Pegg engaged me yesterday."
"There!" exclaimed the chauffeur. "I told you so!"
"Shut up, Dicky!" snapped the beauty, becoming suddenly serious, not to
say alarmed, and looking down upon me from her enormous height very much
as if I had been something terrible--like, say, a mouse. "Shut up,
Dicky, and let me handle this. So my old man hired you, did he?" she
went on gravely. "Without a word to me! Well, that's not your fault. We
will have to talk this over in private. Sit down, ma'am; here's a nice
chair. Get out, cutie!"
This last was addressed to the little page boy, who promptly dropped my
baggage and prepared for flight. There was that in the young woman's
voice which betrayed the habit of command. But with a gesture I detained
him.
"Wait, little boy. I have something for you this time!" I said.
The boy stopped in his tracks and waited quite as promptly as if it were
a custom with him, while I delved into the depths of my reticule and
produced six nice brown sugar cookies, which I presented. He was
pleased, I perceived that. Indeed he was quite wordless with surprise.
But I knew they were wholesome and that six were not too many, and
presently he was shut out by the chauffeur, who leaned against the
closed portal shaking with unaccountable mirth. Miss Pegg seemed to see
no humor in the situation any more than did I myself, but led me to the
window and made me sit there opposite her. The Dick person leaned
against the center table, toying with the dice.
"What's the name, did you say?" she inquired.
"My name is Freedom Talbot--Miss Talbot!" said I.
"Gee! That's funny!" said Miss Peaches Pegg.
"It sure is!" remarked the chauffeur.
"It's Dick's name, too!" said my hostess. "Make you acquainted--shake
hands with Mr. Talbot, Miss Talbot!"
There was nothing to do but acquiesce, for the young chap without the
least trace of self-consciousness came forward most politely.
"Pleased to meetcher!" he said. "I wonder are you any relative to my
Aunt Lucy? That's my father's sister, but he got killed in a gun fight
up to Nome."
"I scarcely think it likely," said I. "Our family is practically
extinct."
"Well, never mind the family tree just now!" said Alicia. "And let's get
down to cases on this dry-nurse business. Of course, Miss Talbot, I
realize you are not to blame in this. But it's got to be understood
right here and now. Tell me what the old boy put over on me this time?"
Well, I recounted the tale in as much detail as I could recall, amid
continuous interruptions from my strange audience, beginning with my
situation at home, and ending with my quarrel with Euphemia. When my
recital was complete Miss Peaches gave a long whistle, which feat was
amazingly expressive of her emotions.
"Well, see here, Miss Freedom," she said. "As I get the dope, it is,
that you are to take me out and show me the world and everything--to
teach me what little it is proper for me to know--and how to tell the
culls from the sound fruit? Well, well! Do you believe you can do it?"
"I, of course, believe that I would be a proper influence and shield for
a young woman!" I replied quietly. "Else I would not have engaged to
perform such a task."
"And you'd sure be gosh-awful disappointed if you didn't go to Europe,
wouldn't you?" she went on.
As I made no reply to this she continued to guide the conversation.
"I think you are a damn good sport to break away at your age," she went
on. "And it would be a crime to send you back to the corral. I know just
how it must feel."
"I bet you do!" said the Dick person. "After the ranch!"
"You see, he means our home ranch," the girl explained. "Pa has kept me
there since I was a seedling. Never been away from it until three weeks
ago--kept me pure and healthy and everything. But I've got fed up on it,
and I'm glad to get loose and see life, even with you tagging along.
Tell you what I'll do. So long as you've got your camp all broke I'll
help you to see the world if you'll help me to see the world instead of
preventing it. I'll be reasonable if you will. Are you on?"
"I am!" said I, half hypnotized by her charm. "I'm on!"
"Good! It's a bet!" cried Peaches, suddenly shaking my hand with a grip
of most unladylike vigor. "Now let's dope this out some more. I've
bought all the clothes in the stores in San Francisco, at least all
costing over a hundred dollars each, as befits my new society stunt, so
we ought to start right off and go some place where we know somebody
besides the head waiters. Do you really know a lot of swells?"
"I--well, really--I know the proper people, of course," said I. "But I
don't think that you would fancy Boston very much."
"Oh, Boston is all O. K." she said. "Only, of course, it's not like San
Francisco--or even Fresno. No pep, and a rotten climate. Don't you know
any gay ducks some other place?"
"Well, let me cogitate the matter," said I. "I know the Loringstons, in
New York--two charming maiden ladies."
"Hold me--or I'll die of excitement!" said Peaches. "Nothing doing! If
I've got to be pushed into the world of fashion and gayety I want there
to be some class to it--snappy stuff--titles and everything. Do you know
any titles?"
"Only the dean of Radcliffe," I responded; "unless one were to except
the Countess Veruchio. But she lives in Monte Carlo. She was my first
cousin until she married this foreign person."
Miss Pegg's large eyes grew incredibly larger, and instinctively she
turned her gaze toward the neglected dice upon the center table. I
shuddered at her words which followed. Had I already, unwittingly in my
novitiate as guide, mentor and friend, set her upon evil ways? I deeply
feared so.
"A countess!" she breathed. "Monte Carlo! Why, that's in Italy! Oh boy!
Oh boy! Say, do they rattle the bones at Monte Carlo?"