He talks of a niece of his wife's: have you ever seen her ?--married to some Servian or Roumanian prince.' Mattock answered: 'Yes.' 'Is she such a beauty ?' Again Mattock answered: 'Yes,' after affecting thoughtfulness.
'They seem to marry oddly in that family.' Mattock let fly a short laugh at the remark, which had the ring of some current phrase.

'They do,' he said.
Next morning Jane Mattock spoke to her brother of her recruit.

He entirely trusted to her discretion; the idea of a young Irish secretary was rather comical, nevertheless.

He had his joke about it, requesting to have a sight of the secretary's books at the expiry of the week, which was the length of time he granted this ardent volunteer for evaporating and vanishing.
'If it releases poor Grace for a week, it will be useful to us,' Jane said.

'Women are educated so shamefully that we have not yet found one we can rely on as a competent person.