I have heaps of dresses, and quantities of jewels, and my lovely country home, and my season in town, but what I have never yet had, and what I have earnestly longed for, was a daughter.

A boy, after all, has to go to school, and to fight his way in the world--our boy is at school, and a very good place for him--but a woman wants a girl of her own to quite satisfy her heart.
"Now it seems to me that I may have three girls.

We must keep up the fiction of Primrose being useful to you in your library, Joseph--you must give her letters to write, and you must be very patient with her when she makes mistakes, for the dear child has not been educated, and will probably make the worst of secretaries.

Never mind, you must try to appear delighted, and to seem as if you never could have got on until Primrose Mainwaring came to help you.
"Then the little ones--of course they are coming under the supposition that they are only to stay until I have found them berths in one of those horrid charity schools for the orphan daughters of military men--but I promise you those berths shall be hard to find.

The three will insensibly consider themselves our adopted children.