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Page 233
dressing case, but the old man protested so violently that she laughed and left them to him. She was too anxious to get in and find out how Mrs. Bates had weathered the trip to spend time arguing protocol.
Linda was surprised and not too well pleased to find her employer trotting briskly around the second floor assigning rooms to everyone. Her glance at Peter was eloquent; his shrug behind his aunt's back was even more eloquent. But Linda got no chance to try her powers of persuasion. Mrs. Bates smiled at her warmly and showed her to her room, almost ordering her to look it over and then take the rest of the day to become familiar with the house, grounds, and servants.
''You know, dear," she said before Linda had a chance to get a word in, "you won't be the slightest use to me if I tell you to get my glasses from the breakfast room or the gazebo and you don't know where the breakfast room or gazebo is. And now that I have you, you can deal with the servants. You see, they don't like to take orders from Gertrude because they consider her a servant too. It is most ridiculous. Gertrude must tell me what must be done and I must tell the servantsand they aren't like English servants at all. They talk back to you and argue and tell you long personal stories." She smiled impishly. "You may have the pleasure of listening to them and getting your own way now.
"Of course, Mrs. Bates, but don't you think"

 
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