“So you will tell me the whole story, will you not? From the beginning.”

“You’re not going to send me away, I hope,” said Caroline, settling herself comfortably in an armchair. “What I want to know,” she continued, “is why this child was masquerading as a parlour maid?”

“Masquerading?” I queried.

“That’s what I said. Why did you do it, child? For a wager?”

“For a living,” said Ursula drily.

And encouraged, she began the story which I reproduce here in my own words.