"I think we must come to business details now," he said. "Had you not
better write a letter to Mr. Parsons that I could take, stating your
wishes; and will you also write down upon another piece of paper all the
details of your name, age--and so forth----"

He now showed her his writing-table and gave her paper and pens to
choose from.

She sat down gravely, and put her hands to her head as one thinking
hard. Then she began rapidly to write--while Mr. Arranstoun watched her
from the hearth-rug, to where he had retired.

She evidently wrote out the statistics required first, and then began
her letter. And at last she turned a rogue's face with a perplexed frown
on it, while she bit her pen.

"How do you spell indigenous, please?"

He started forward.

"'Indigenous'?--what a grand word!--i-n-d-i-g-e-n-o-u-s."

"One has to be grand when writing business letters," she told him,
condescendingly, and then finished her missive.

"There--that will do! Now listen!"

She got up and stood with the sheet in her hand, and read off the
remarkable document without worrying much about stops or commas.