' Those partition walls upstairs are very thin;
one can almost hear a watch ticking in the next room.''
``Is your maid called Florence?''
``Her name is Florinda.''
``What an extraordinary name to give a maid!''
``I did not give it to her; she arrived in my service
already christened.''
``What I mean is,'' said Mrs. Riversedge, ``that when I
get maids with unsuitable names I call them Jane; they soon
get used to it.''
``An excellent plan,'' said the aunt of Clovis coldly;
``unfortunately I have got used to being called Jane myself.
It happens to be my name.''
She cut short Mrs. Riversedge's flood of apologies by
abruptly remarking:
``The question is not whether I'm to call my maid
Florinda, but whether Mr. Brope is to be permitted to call
her Florrie. I am strongly of opinion that he shall not.''
``He may have been repeating the words of some song,''
said Mrs. Riversedge hopefully; ``there are lots of those
sorts of silly refrains with girls' names,'' she continued,
turning to Clovis as a possible authority on the subject.
`` `You mustn't call me Mary---' ''
``I shouldn't think of doing so,'' Clovis assured her;
``in the first place, I've always understood that your name
was Henrietta; and then I hardly know you well enough to
take such a liberty.
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