following a less dashing line, should she take darling Lucia and
Georgie into the charmed circle, and while retaining her own right of
treasure trove, yet share it with them in some inner ring, dispensing
the Guru to them, if they were good, in small doses?

Mrs Quantock's mind resembled in its workings the manoeuvres of a moth
distracted by the glory of several bright lights. It dashed at one, got
slightly singed, and forgetting all about that turned its attention to
the second, and the third, taking headers into each in turn, without
deciding which, on the whole, was the most enchanting of those
luminaries. So, in order to curb the exuberance of these frenzied
excursions she got a half sheet of paper, and noted down the
alternatives that she must choose from.

"(I) Shall I keep him entirely to myself?

"(II) Shall I run him for all he is worth, and leave out L?

"(III) Shall I get G on my side?

"(IV) Shall I give L and G bits?"

She paused a moment: then remembering that he had voluntarily helped
her very pretty housemaid to make the beds that morning, saying that
his business (like the Prince of Wales's) was to serve, she added:

"(V) Shall I ask him to be my cook?"

For a few seconds the brightness of her eager interest was dimmed as
the unworthy suspicion occurred to her that perhaps the prettiness of