half-open door when I heard my aunt dismiss her. But I have a feeling that she knew that I had been eavesdropping.

My aunt smiled indulgently at me as we sat down to dine, Lisa entering at once with the hors d'oeuvre. 'Would you like to pour the wine?' my aunt asked me.

When I had poured out two glasses of the chablis she had provided to accompany the first course she asked me what we should drink to. Somewhat at a loss I hesitated for a moment and before I could speak she added: 'Let's drink to our new relationship!'

This rather surprised me but I drank the toast without revealing that I found the words 'our new relationship' somewhat odd.

We chatted amiably throughout the meal and it wasn't until we were sipping brandy towards the end that my aunt offered me some sort of explanation of the presence in her house of Lisa and Gudrun.

'They both help me with the house. I don't like the usual run-of-the-mill servant and these girls are different,' she volunteered. 'I pay them well and they enjoy being here. But I suppose they may sometimes miss male company. And that's something I want to talk about. I believe I can trust you not to try to seduce my girls, but I thought it worth mentioning... in a moment of weakness, you know what I mean. However, when I get to know you better it may be different...there might be something you

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could do to help me...!

'What do you mean, Aunt Maria?' I asked her.

'Nevr mind now, dear. Things will become clear in time. I hope you'll be able to stay a week or two. I find you very interesting and there are various ways in which you might assist us here. But, as I said, it is too early to start talking of such things. In the meantime I would like you to keep your relationship with the girls on a strictly formal basis. I should also tell you that we have a cook and a general handyman but they are not part of the household in the real sense and they have no knowledge of my personal or business affairs. Please ignore them.'

With that strange statement she more or less dismissed me and I made my way to my room.

In the morning I breakfasted alone as my aunt apparently had hers in her room and rarely appeared before about ten in the morning. This gave me an opportunity to have a few words with Lisa as she served breakfast.

I was careful to avoid asking her direct questions as I had heard her being warned by my aunt not to answer them. But gradually I got a few things out of her and she became almost overtly friendly. As I reached the end of breakfast and she was pouring out a final cup of coffee for me, she leant over and almost in a whisper she said: 'Perhaps I could talk

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