Maitland had been one of the guests at the inaugural dinner.  He was entirely devoid of patients, and was living on the anticipated gains of a great work on Clinical Psychology.

‘Tell Dr. Maitland he will find me at luncheon if he comes instantly,’ said Merton as the boy fled on his errand.  ’I see that I need not introduce you to my young friends, Miss Blossom,’ said Merton.  ’May I beg you to help Miss Apsley to arrange her tucker?’

Miss Blossom, almost unbecomingly brilliant in her complexion, did as she was asked.  Batsy had cold chicken, new potatoes, green peas, and two helpings of apricot tart.  Tommy devoted himself to cutlets.  A very mild shandygaff was compounded for him in an old Oriel pewter.  Both children made love to Miss Blossom with their eyes.  It was not at all what Merton felt inclined to do; the lady had entangled him in a labyrinth of puzzledom.

‘None-so-pretty,’ exclaimed Tommy, ’I am glad you told us to come here.  Your friends are nice.’

Merton bowed to Tommy, ‘I am glad too,’ he said.  ’Miss Blossom knew that we were kindred souls, same kind of chaps, I mean, you and me, you know, Tommy!’

Miss Blossom became more and more like the fabled peony, the crimson variety.  Luckily the office boy ushered in Dr. Maitland, who, exchanging glances of surprise with Merton, over the children’s heads, began to make himself agreeable.  He had nearly as many tricks as Miss Maskelyne.  He was doing the short-sighted man eating celery, and unable to find the salt because he is unable to find his eyeglass.

Merton, seeing his clients absorbed in mirth, murmured something vague about ‘business,’ and spirited Miss Blossom away to the inner chamber.

’Sit down, pray, Miss Blossom.  There is no time to waste.  What do you know about these children?  Why did you send them here?’

The girl, who was pale enough now, said, ’I never thought they would come.’

‘They are here, however.  What do you know about them?’

’I went to stay, lately, at the Home Farm on their grandmother’s place.  We became great friends.  I found out that they were motherless, and that they were being cruelly ill-treated by their governess.’

‘Miss Limmer?’

’Yes.  But they both said they loved her dearly.  They always said that when asked.  I gathered from their grandmother, old Mrs. Apsley, that their father would listen to nothing against the governess.  The old lady cried in a helpless way, and said he was capable of marrying the woman, out of obstinacy, if anybody interfered.  I had your advertisement, and I thought you might disentangle him.  It was a kind of joke.  I only told them that you were a kind gentleman.  I never dreamed of their really coming.’

’Well, you must take them back again presently, there is the address.  You must see their father; you must wait till you see him.  And how are you to explain this escapade?  I can’t have the children taught to lie.’