“I believe Sir Walter considers my lack of experience to be an advantage rather than otherwise! Other gentlemen in this profession are accustomed to exercise all sorts of authority over their charges and impose restraints upon them – something Sir Walter is very much opposed to in the case of his wife. But, you see, I have no such habits to break. Her ladyship will meet with nothing but kindness and respect in this house. And, apart from such little precautions as may suggest themselves to our good sense – such as keeping guns and knives out of her way – she will be treated as a guest in this house and we will strive to make her happy.”

Stephen inclined his head in acceptance of these proposals. “How did you come to it?” he asked.

“The house?” asked Mr Segundus.

“No, madhouse-keeping.”

“Oh! Quite by accident. Last September I had the great good fortune to meet a lady called Mrs Lennox, who has since become my benefactress. This house belongs to her. For some years she had tried to find a good tenant for it, but without success. She took a liking to me and wished to do me a kindness; so she determined upon establishing a business here and placing me in charge of it. Our first thought was a school for magicians, but …”

“Magicians!” exclaimed Stephen in surprize. “But what have you to do with magicians?”

“I am one myself. I have been one all my life.”

“Indeed!”

Stephen looked so very much affronted by this news that Mr Segundus’s natural impulse was to apologize to him – though what sort of apology one could offer for being a magician he did not know. He went on. “But Mr Norrell did not approve our plan for a school and he sent Childermass here to warn me against it. Do you know John Childermass, sir?”

“I know him by sight,” said Stephen. “I have never spoken to him.”

“At first Mrs Lennox and I had every intention of opposing him – Mr Norrell, I mean, not Childermass. I wrote to Mr Strange, but my letter arrived on the morning that his wife disappeared and, as I dare say you know, the poor lady died a few days later.”