Mr. Bingle's heart swelled. "Do you mean that the matter is--er--
permanently closed? Are you going to let me keep her?"

"Certainly NOT! What kind of a father do you think I am? Now I'll tell
you what I want you to do. I want you to be particularly careful about
that child while I'm away. Don't let anything happen to her. Take the
best of care of her, Bingle. I shall hold you personally responsible.
And see here, there's another point on which I want to be especially
firm. I don't want her to be thrown with the other children any more
than can be helped. I--What's that?"

"Nothing. Go on."

"Some of those kids of yours are not precisely what I would call
thoroughbred. See what I mean? No reflection, of course, Bingle. I
wouldn't say this if they were your own, understand, but--well,
they're not, so that's all there is to it. I shall have to ask you to
engage a special companion for Kathleen, and I have arranged with a
Madame Dufresne to--"

"See here, Force, I--"

"--to call on you this week. She is an excellent woman, refined and a
lady of very good family in France. She is a friend of Rouquin's, in
the bank. He knew the family in Paris. I took the liberty of telling
him that you wanted to engage a French LADY to act as companion to
your eldest child. I trust you will see to it that Kathleen is not
allowed to romp about with the rest of those--er--the other children.
This Madame Dufresne will--What's that?"