In the Land of the Long White Cloud

dirty.
    “He won’t listen to me, missy!” the little girl said dutifully.
    The boy had already smeared mud on his sailor suit from top to bottom.
    “I’ll come back when you make me a little boat!” he now called back naughtily to his nanny. “Then we’ll go to the lake and watch them float.”
    The “lake” was no more than a large pool that remained from the high water in winter. It did not look very clean, but at least there was no dangerous current.
    The young woman looked undecided. No doubt she knew that it was wrong to negotiate with him, but she clearly did not want to wade through the muck to retrieve the little boy forcibly. She resorted to a counteroffer.
    “But first let’s practice your equations. I don’t want you not to know anything when your father asks you questions.”
    George shook his head. Helen would never have given in to George in a similar situation. But this governess was considerably youngerand obviously much less experienced than Helen had been when she worked for the Greenwoods. She seemed practically desperate; the child was obviously too much for her. Despite her cross demeanor, she was attractive: she had a delicate heart-shaped face with pale skin, clear blue eyes, and bright pink lips. Her hair was fine and blonde, tied up in a loose knot at the nape of her neck, and was not holding well. Either her hair was too soft to stay pinned up, or the girl was not very good with hair. On her head sat a prim bonnet that suited her dress. Although her attire was simple, it was not a servant’s uniform. George revised his first impression. The girl must be a tutor, not a nanny.
    “I’ll solve a problem, then I get the boat!” Robert called out confidently. He had discovered a rather decrepit jetty that led farther out into the river, and was balancing on it, clearly pleased. George was alarmed. Up to this point, the little boy had only been defiant, but now he was in real danger. The current was very strong.
    The tutor saw it too but did not want to give up without a fight.
    “You’ll solve three problems,” she announced. Her voice sounded strained.
    “Two!” The boy, who might have been six years old, rocked back and forth on a board.
    That was enough for George. He was wearing heavy riding boots in which he could easily cross the mud. In three strides he was on the jetty, where he swept up the unhappy boy and carried him back to his tutor.
    “Here, I believe this one got away from you.” George laughed.
    The young woman hesitated at first—unsure of the appropriate response in this situation. Relief won out, and she smiled. Besides, it was funny to watch Robert, tucked under this stranger’s arm, pedaling in the air like an unruly puppy. His sister giggled with delight.
    “Three problems, young man, and I’ll let you loose,” said George.
    Robert wailed in acquiescence, at which point George set him down. The tutor took him immediately by the collar and pushed him onto the next available park bench.
    “Thank you,” she said, with demurely lowered eyes. “I was worried. He is often so badly behaved.”
    George nodded his head and wanted to continue on his way, but something held him back. So he sought a bench not far from the tutor, who was now working to calm her charge. Holding him on the bench, she tried to elicit, if not the answer, then at least some response to a math question.
    “Two plus three—how many is that, Robert? We did it with building blocks; do you remember?”
    “Don’t know. Can we make the boat now?” Robert fidgeted.
    “After arithmetic. Look, Robert, here are three leaves. And here are two more. How many are there?”
    The boy only had to count. But he was recalcitrant and uninterested. George saw William once more in front of him.
    The young tutor remained patient. “Just count, Robert.”
    The boy counted against his will. “One, two, three, four…four, missy.”
    The tutor sighed, as did little Nancy.
    “Count again, Robert.”
    The child was not only unwilling but dumb. George’s sympathy for the tutor grew as she inched arduously closer to each answer. It could not have been easy to remain kind, but the young woman only laughed stoically when Robert yelled, “Make the boat, make the boat!” again and again. She gave in when the boy finally correctly solved the third and easiest problem. However, she showed neither patience nor skill when it came to folding paper boats. The model that Robert finally accepted did not look