Etext prepared by Jonathan Ingram Beth Trapaga Charles Franks and theOnline Distributed Proofreading TeamMISS MERIVALES MISTAKEByMRS HENRY CLARKE MAIllustration PAULINE SAT DOWN IN THE LOW CHAIR BY THE WINDOW AND TOOKUP THE PHOTOGRAPH FRAMECONTENTSCHAPTERI    A STARTLING DISCOVERYII   WOODCOTEIII  A VISIT TO KENTISH TOWNIV   TOM AND RHODA MEETV    A MERRY HEART GOES ALL THE WAYVI   PAULINES DIPLOMACYVII  APPLES OF SODOMVIII AN INVITATIONIX   PAULINE HAS HER SUSPICIONSX    A CONFESSIONXI   POLLY SMITHXII  CONCLUSIONILLUSTRATIONSPAULINE SAT DOWN IN THE LOW CHAIR BY THE WINDOW AND TOOK UP THEPHOTOGRAPH FRAMEPAULINE LEANT AGAINST THE DRESSER AND WATCHED HERHE STARED AT HER NOT COMPREHENDINGCHAPTER IA STARTLING DISCOVERYMiss Merivale had not been paying much heed to the eager talk that wasgoing on between Rose and Pauline Smythe at the windowThe long drive from Woodcote had made her head ache and she was drowsilywishing that Miss Smythe would get her the cup of tea she had promisedwhen the sound of a name made her suddenly sit bolt upright her kind oldface full of anxious curiosityRhoda Sampson the creature calls herself Pauline was saying in herclear highpitched voice Her people live in Kentish Town or somewherein the dim wilds about there You would know it by just looking at herDoes she come from Kentish Town every day asked RoseThree times a week On the top of an omnibus one may be sure And sheimbibes facts from _The Civil Service Geography_ all the way I found thebook in her bag yesterday I believe she wants to get into the Post Officeeventually It is a worthy ambitionWhom are you talking of my dears asked Miss Merivale from her seat bythe fire Pauline turned round with a little stare Miss Merivale was soquiet and unassuming a personage that she had got into the habit ofignoring her Of Clares new amusement Miss Merivale she said with alaugh Her laugh like her voice was a trifle hard It was scientificdressmaking when I was at Woodcote last you remember Rose dear Now itis a society Clare is secretaryBut you spoke of some girl who came here persisted Miss MerivalePauline lifted her delicatelypencilled eyebrows Oh that is Clarestypewriter She is part of the joke If you saw Clare and her togetherover their letters you would think they were reforming the universe Ithasnt dawned on poor Sampson yet that Clare will get tired of the wholebusiness in a month It is lucky she has the Post Office to fall back onClare is exactly what she used to be at school Rose everything bystarts and nothing long It amuses me to watch herShe doesnt tire of you Pauline said Rose fondlyPauline frowned a little She did not care to be reminded even byfoolish flattering little Rose that she was in sober fact nothing morenor less than Clares paid companionOh we get on she said coolly We each leave the other to go her ownway in peace And it suits Lady Desborough in Rome to say that Clare isliving with her old governess People think of me as a spectacled lady ofan uncertain age and everybody is satisfied But you would like some teaI wish Clare was in She isnt afraid of that gas stove I am ashamed toconfess that I am Come out with me while I light it Rosamunda mia Andyou shall make the tea I never can remember how many spoonfuls to put inHow pretty you look in blue I wish I was eighteen with hair the colourof ripe wheat then I would wear blue tooShe went off laughing with Rose to the tiny kitchen on the other side ofthe passage The sittingroom was the largest room in the little Chelseaflat and that was smaller than any of the rooms at Woodcote but thediminutive dimensions of the place only added to the fascinations of it inRoses eyesAs she took the cups and saucers down from the toylike dresser and putthem on the lilliputian table between the gas stove and the door she felta thrill of ineffable pleasureOh Pauline I wish I lived here with you Its so dull at Woodcote Andit seems to get duller every dayPoor little Rose it must be dull for you Clare and I often talk of youwith pity Clare pities you the most A fellowfeeling makes us wondrouskind you know She will have to go back to Desborough Park when hermother returns I suppose The flat is only rented for six months IwishShe stopped to take off the lid of the teakettle and peerearnestly in When a kettle boils little bubbles come to the top dontthey I have got a notebook where I write down interesting little detailsof that sort They will come useful by and by if I have to live in a flatby myself I shouldnt be able to keep a regular servantBut a regular servant would spoil it all even if you could afford itsaid Rose with sparkling eyes We couldnt come out here and get tealike this if you had a servant PaulineShe would have to stand in the passage wouldnt she said Paulinelooking round the tiny kitchen with a laugh But how would you like toget tea for yourself every day little Rose Clare seems to like itthough Her mother wanted Mrs Richards to stay with us all day but Clarebegged that she might go at three oclock And Clare is maidofallworkafter that It seems to come natural to her to know what kitchen thingsare meant for Now if you will make the tea we will go back to youraunt This kettle is certainly boiling at lastRose carefully measured the tea into the pretty Japanese teapot Paulineleant against the dresser and watched her with her hands clasped at theback of her head Pauline was not prettyher features were badly cut andher skin was sallowbut she made a pretty picture standing there Herdress of ruddy brown was made in a graceful artistic fashion and wasjust the right