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.She learnt that many of them had been brought by him from Nepal and from other places in the world where orchids are particularly fine and unusual.As always, Pepe was fascinated by the fountain and she was standing staring up at it when the Marquis asked in a low voice to Eleta,“How could you possibly have achieved this? How could you have transformed my naughty daughter into this charming and intelligent girl I can hardly recognise?”“I am glad you are pleased,” Eleta replied shyly.“Of course I am pleased, but tell me how you have done it.”Eleta looked towards Pepe.She was standing with her head thrown back to gaze up at the top of the rising water and it was a picture that any famous artist would have wanted to paint.Then, almost as if the Marquis had compelled her to answer his question, she said,“I believe that what Pepe wants is love.”There was silence for a moment and then he said,“That is something we all want, but, if it is real, it is difficult to find.”They had tea in the conservatory, where many of the rarest and most unusual plants the Marquis had brought back from abroad were just coming into bloom.Pepe was delighted with them and her father tried to teach her the names of some of them.“You must not make it too hard for us, my Lord.” Eleta protested.“We have so much going in and out of our brains at the moment that I am afraid, if you push us too hard, there will be a collision.”“I cannot believe that where you are concerned.If this is the new method of teaching the young, I can only say I will recommend it to every teacher in the world.”Eleta laughed as he continued,“Then they will erect a statue of you outside every school!”“What a thought!” she cried, “but as everyone is so different, you cannot make it dull and formal by writing it all down.”The Marquis nodded in agreement.“I am quite convinced,” Eleta went on, “after my experience here that the only real way of teaching is from mind to mind and, of course, from heart to heart.”“You are absolutely right, Miss Lawson, but I don’t think anyone except you has ever thought of it that way before.”“I am certain they have, but they have not had the same material as I have had with Pepe, nor such enchanting surroundings in which to teach her.”She paused for a moment before she added,“Everything is so beautiful here, that anyone who lives amongst it must inevitably become beautiful too.”“That is what I used to hope,” the Marquis replied, “and what I now believe.”Eleta turned to look at him to see if he was telling the truth as he saw it.When their eyes met there were somehow no words with which they could express what they were feeling.It was after tea that Eleta proposed,“I think as it is such a lovely evening we must have one more look at the sun sinking behind the trees and then we must go upstairs.”“And leave me?” the Marquis asked.“I am afraid so, my Lord.I think it’s a mistake, because we ride so early in the morning, that Pepe should be late in going to bed.”She looked at the clock and continued,“Her supper will be ready for her at seven o’clock.”“Do you eat at the same time?” the Marquis asked.“Yes, of course,” Eleta replied.“Well I think tonight, as I am alone,” he answered, “you should have dinner with me.”Eleta looked at him in surprise.“Are you sure that is wise, my Lord?” she asked.“It is very unusual, I know, for a Governess to have dinner in the dining room, although it is permissible for her to appear there for luncheon.”“There is no one here to be shocked or curious.I have some work to do first, but I should be delighted if you will be my guest at eight-thirty, Miss Lawson.”“Of course I want to accept,” Eleta said, “but you must realise that it will surprise the staff.”The Marquis smiled.“I should have thought that what you have achieved already is enough to keep them talking until Christmas,” he said.“Therefore one more shock is neither here nor there.”“Then, my Lord, I am delighted to accept your kind invitation and I hope Pepe may come and say goodnight to you before she goes to her own room.”“I will be in the study waiting for her.”Pepe, although she protested that she had no wish to go to bed, was really very tired.It had been an exciting day and, as Eleta was aware, the heat had taken its toll.The chef sent her up a particularly appetising dish of her favourite fish and that was followed by a deliciously light pudding and two or three even more unusual petits fours than she had had before.“I will thank Monsieur tomorrow,” Pepe said, “and tell him that he has beaten all records with the food he gave Daddy at luncheon and the special cakes at tea.”“I think you will have to go and tell him how clever he has been as soon as your father leaves,” Eleta suggested.“When is he going?” Pepe enquired.“I have no idea, but I expect he will in a day or so.”“I love having him here and I think Papa is very nice now and not cross and disagreeable as he was before.”“You must forget all that,” Eleta said.“You must remember he had all those tiresome women telling him how bad and naughty you were and, because they were supposed to be experienced, he believed them.”She smiled at Pepe before she went on,“It was not his fault he did not find out how clever you really are and how many new and exciting things you will have to show him the next time he comes home.”Pepe was immediately interested.“What will they be?” she asked.“I am not quite certain yet, because you are such an unusual person in yourself.”She saw that Pepe did not understand exactly and she held up her hand.“Firstly,” she said touching her little finger, “you have proved yourself good enough to ride almost as well as your father and secondly you have learnt quite a lot of French in a very short time.“Thirdly you are swimming exceedingly well and fourthly and, perhaps the most important of all, you have composed a tune which is all your own and which no one has ever heard before.”Pepe listened entranced.“Am I really as clever as that?” she asked.“You are much cleverer, but we have to find out what special gifts God has given you and how you can use them to delight or help other people.”“Is that what I ought to do?“Of course it is, but some people are so selfish and don’t give enough of themselves to others.And you, Pepe, have so much to give.But first we have to discover it.”“That will be exciting!” Pepe exclaimed.“Now run down and kiss your father goodnight, but don’t stay long because I have a special story to tell you when I tuck you up.Then I have to have a bath and change my dress before I have dinner with him.”“Then I will hurry because it would be a mistake to keep Daddy waiting.”Eleta smiled.“It is clever of you to understand, but I knew you would.We both have to think of other people as well as ourselves.“Yes, of course,” Pepe said happily.“Now I will go down and give Daddy a big kiss.”“And tell him that you love him,” Eleta added as the child reached the door.“I do love him,” Pepe called back, “but I also love you, Eleta, more than anyone else in the whole world.”She did not wait for Eleta’s reply, but ran down the large staircase into the hall
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