Page:Fletcher - The Mortover Grange Affair.pdf/258

 I didn't put in my letter—is Robinson, Miss Arabella Robinson. I'm cook-general to Mr. Levigne in Cleveland Square; been there rather more than a year. It's not a difficult place, for Mr. Levigne is away from home a good deal, and there's no family beyond a lady who's his private secretary, Miss Monniment. And there's a day-woman comes to help—she comes at eight of a morning and stays till eight at night, so of course I'm not over-worked, and I've a good chance of observing things. Now, Mr. Levigne, he's one of those gentlemen that are what I call difficult to deal with! You never know when he'll be in for his dinner, or if he'll be in at all, or if he's coming home that night. Unless it's known for a fact that he's away from London, which he often is, my orders are to have dinner ready at a certain hour every night—if he comes, well, there it is; if he doesn't, well—he doesn't!"

"Trying!" said Wedgwood, sympathetically.

"Oh, it's his concern!" replied Miss Robinson. "Somebody eats what he doesn't! But I want you to understand that all the doings in that house are uncertain—I never know whether Miss Monniment will be there during the day, or whether she'll go to the City—Mr. Levigne has an office there, somewhere. Well, now, about this business that you've been advertising for