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"Oh, yes. She is a very retiring person. Her unfortunate deformity… I suppose I had better warn you about that."
"I wish you would."
"It is not much, really; one soon becomes accustomed to it. She has a harelip, poor creature, and is morbidly self-conscious about it."
"I will be very careful not to take the slightest notice of it."
"I felt sure you would. You probably won't see a great deal of her; she spends most of her time in her own rooms. The castle is quite large, so Violet and A
"A
"Oh, they seem to get along amicably enough," the Duchess replied. "But A
"Please do," said Maria
"A
"But there is nothing peculiar about that,"
Maria
"I myself have no objection to them, in moderation. But A
"So then the household consists of Lady A
"Quite right. Then there are the servants, of course. Henry's dear old Na
"Oh." Maria
"Oh, and I must warn you about MacDonald," the Duchess went on.
"Who is he?"
"The head gardener. He has been there forever; he grew up with my husband, so it is impossible for me to pension him off against his will."
"What is wrong with MacDonald?" Maria
"Pure senility, my dear. He talks to himself – or rather, to imaginary companions. It is quite harmless, but I admit it can be disconcerting to have MacDonald round on one and shout, 'Take yerself off, ye wearisome auld besom!' He wasn't speaking to me on that occasion, but to his deceased mother. And, since he occasionally forgets where he is, he is apt to turn up in the strangest places – in one's closet, for instance, or peering in the parlor windows at odd hours of the evening."
After this daunting description Maria
Contrary to her expectations, her first impression was distinctly favorable. The clouds shed their load of rain as they proceeded, so that brilliant bursts of sunlight illumined an increasingly rugged and impressive landscape. The stark purple mountains laced by white waterfalls and girdled with trees impressed Maria
Devenbrook Castle was framed by snowcapped peaks on three sides. The sun favored them with its appearance as they approached, and in its benevolent light the crenellated walls and pointed towers had the gaiety of a child's toy castle set on a bright-green mat and surrounded by trees and flower beds so improbably neat that they resembled paper cutouts. Maria
Somehow Maria
When they finally reached the chamber that had been assigned to her, Maria
"We must see to brightening this room," the Duchess said, with a disparaging glance. "It is enough to give one the shivers. You can help me select pretty fabrics, new carpets, furniture… Do you enjoy doing that?"
"Oh, very much. But -"
"My rooms are just next door. That is why I had you put here, close to me. Now you will want to refresh yourself and rest a little. I will come and fetch you when it is time to go down to tea. One could get lost in this gloomy old pile without a guide."
She patted Maria
Maria
Like a benevolent fairy godmother she summoned an army of little maids – who were most of them so young that they really did resemble the famous Scottish pixies or brownies – and set them to work. Maria
"Thank you, Mrs. Ke
The wrinkled old face split in a smile. "Why, miss, what a nice clear voice you have! It is amazing how some people will whisper and mumble their words."
"Thank you."
"Yes, indeed. A pleasure to have a nice young lady in the house."
"Thank you. And now -"
"I hope you will enjoy being here. You don't mind ghosts, do you?"
After her first gasp of surprise Maria