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great deal of dirt on his face and hands.
    He had a large kite tucked under one arm. The long, dirty tail dragged on the floor behind him. Three
    small fish dangled from a line he was holding in his other hand. He stopped short when he saw Chillhurst.
    His eyes widened.
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    "Hello there," Robert said. "I say, who are you, sir? Is that your carriage outside?"
    Chillhurst ignored the bouncing spaniels and gazed meditatively at the three expectant youngsters. "I'm
    Chillhurst," he said finally. "Your uncle sent me."
    "Really?" Hugh asked. "How do you come to know Uncle Artemis?"
    "We met recently." Chillhurst said. "He knew I was traveling to England and he asked me to stop here in
    Upper Tudway."
    Robert beamed. "That means he probably sent presents to us. Are they in your carriage?"
    "Uncle Artemis always sends presents," Hugh explained.
    "That's right," Ethan chimed in. "Where are our presents?"
    "Ethan," Olympia said, "it is extremely impolite to demand one's gifts from a guest before he has even
    had a chance to freshen up from his journey."
    "It's quite all right, Miss Wingfield," Chillhurst said softly. He turned to Ethan. "Among other things, your
    uncle sent me."
    "You." Ethan was thunderstruck. "Why would he send you?"
    "I am to be your new tutor," Chillhurst said.
    A stunned silence gripped the library. Olympia watched as the expressions on the faces of her three
    young nephews changed from eager expectation to horror. They stared, aghast, at Chillhurst.
    "Bloody hell," Hugh breathed.
    "We don't want another tutor." Ethan wrinkled his nose. "The last one was a great bore. He was forever
    droning on in Latin and Greek."
    "We don't need a tutor," Hugh assured Chillhurst. "Ain't that right, Robert?"
    "Right," Robert agreed quickly. "Aunt Olympia can teach us whatever we need to know. Tell him we
    don't want a tutor, Aunt Olympia."
    "I do not understand, Mr. Chillhurst." Olympia stared at the pirate standing in her library. "Surely my
    uncle would not have hired a tutor for my nephews without first consulting me."
    Chillhurst turned to her with an odd glittering expression in his silvery gaze. "But that is just what he has
    done, Miss Wingfield. I hope that does not present a problem. I've come all this way on the promise of a
    position. I trust you will find me useful."
    "I'm not at all certain I can afford another tutor," Olympia said slowly.
    "You need not concern yourself with my fee," Chillhurst said gently. "It has been paid in advance."
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    "I see," Olympia said. She did not know what to say.
    Chillhurst turned to the three boys who were watching him with acute dismay and apprehension.
    "Robert, you will go back out the way you came. You will take those fine-looking fish around to the
    kitchens and clean them."
    "Mrs. Bird always cleans 'em," Robert said quickly.

    "You caught them, you will clean them," Chillhurst replied calmly. "Ethan, Hugh, you two will remove all
    dogs from the premises immediately."
    "But the dogs always come into the house," Ethan said. "Leastways Minotaur does. The spaniels belong
    to one of the neighbors."
    "Henceforth no dogs except Minotaur will be allowed inside and Minotaur may only enter the house if he
    is clean and dry. See that the spaniels are sent home and then take care of your own dog."
    "But, Mr. Chillhurst," Ethan began in his new high-pitched, grating tone of voice.
    "There will be no whining," Chillhurst said. "Whining annoys me." He removed a gold watch from his
    pocket and checked the time. "Now, then, you have half an hour to get yourselves bathed and into clean
    clothes."
    "I don't need a bath," Robert grumbled.
    "You will take one and you will be quick about it." Chillhurst slipped his watch back into his pocket.
    "When you are all three finished we shall meet together and I will outline the course of studies that