"Your worthy Jake, for instance--"
"Oh, Jake is a reformed character," she interrupted. "He hardly ever lets
himself go now-a-days. And he won't allow it from Bunny. But Toby--Toby
never seems to know the good from the bad."
"Has Jake taken her in hand?" asked Saltash with a chuckle.
"Oh yes. He checks her at every turn. I must say she takes it very
sweetly, even offered to take her meals in her room yesterday when he was
rather down on her. It absolutely disarmed Jake of course. What could he
say?"
"Yes, she's a disarming monkey certainly," agreed Saltash. "But I never
was great on the management and discipline of children. So she knocks
under to the great Jake, does she?"
"Oh, not entirely." Maud laughed a little. "Only this morning they had a
battle. I don't know how it is going to end yet. But--she can be very
firm."
"She never tried any battles with me," said Saltash, with some
complacence.
"No. But then your sense of duty is more elastic than Jake's. You
never--probably--asked her to do anything she didn't want to do."
"Can't remember," said Saltash. "What did Jake want?"
Maud's smile lingered. "You'll laugh of course. But Jake is quite right,
whatever you do.
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