hat they were about, until, with a start, it dawned upon her
that she was reading a private letter of invitation from some people she
knew. She gave an exclamation of surprise and annoyance at her
carelessness, which made Mr. Jones look up.

'I beg your pardon, I did not think of what I was doing,' she said,
handing him the letter.

'Oh that's all right; there's nothing private in that. Rothery often
writes to me here; he says he has a better chance of being answered,' he
observed.

Lord Rothery was a neighbour, and had been a great admirer of Stella,
and he was a friend of the junior partner. Wonders would never cease!
Stella was perturbed at the information, for the letter said that he
should be up in town that day, and was coming to see Mr. Jones in his
office to fix up dates for their yachting.

'I know--I knew Lord Rothery,' she said at last in desperation, for she
felt that she could not meet him in Mr. Jones's office.

'Ah, yes, of course, he was a neighbour of yours. I am sure he will be
delighted to meet you again, Miss Wharton,' said the junior partner
politely.

'But I don't want to meet him!' Stella exclaimed impulsively, and then
stopped. This morning was going all wrong; she had meant to be very
polite, but more reserved than ever, and here she was, on the contrary,
having more conversation with her employer than she had had all the time
she had been with him.

Mr. Jones seemed to understand at once; and, in spite of herself, Stella
could not help being grateful to him. 'In that case I had better come
and dictate my letters to you in your room, for Rothery has a
light-hearted way of bursting in upon me without waiting to be
announced; he won't take my business seriously, and persists that I come
here for amusement, as I can't want to make more money,' he says.

But when they were in her room, and she had taken down all her notes,
and Mr. Jones got up to go, she summoned up all her courage and said, 'I
wish to explain to you that my little sister wrote you a foolish letter
on Saturday, and that I would rather you did not read it.'

'So you meant to abstract it from my letters?' he said, looking at her
very straight.

But Stella lifted her head, and looked back just as straight as she
replied, 'I meant to do no such thing. I simply meant to give you the
letter, which I should know by the handwriting, and ask you as a
gentleman not to read it.'

A gleam came into James Jones's eyes as she said t