She spent most of her time with
the children. She gave Elsie two hours' lessons a day, and, since she
had a knack of making them interesting, Tinker often enjoyed the
benefit of her teaching. After lessons she shared most of their
amusements, and learned to be a pirate, a brigand, an English sailor, a
Boer, and every kind of captive and conspirator. Since she occupied
some of Elsie's time, Tinker had once more leisure for mischief; and
Dorothy rarely tried to restrain his fondness for pulling the legs of
his fellow-creatures, for she found that he had the happiest knack of
choosing such fellow-creatures as would be benefited, morally, by the
operation. But she was a check upon his more reckless moods, and kept
him from one or two outrageous pranks.
For his part, he found the responsibility of looking after her and
Elsie not a little sobering; and he was quite alive to the fact that at
Monte Carlo, that place of call of the adventurers of the world, one's
womankind need a protecting male presence. Quietly and unobtrusively
Sir Tancred seconded him in this matter; if Dorothy had the fancy to
take the air in the gardens after dinner, she found that he or Lord
Crosland, or both of them, deserted the tables till she went back to
the hotel, and strolled with her and the children.
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