ap of paper that fell
from a book that she held in her hand. "Not a letter, I think? Have you
been making extracts?"

"No," said Lesley, blushing violently, but not trying to take the paper
from him.

"May I see it? Oh, a sort of essay--description--impressions of London
in a fog." He murmured a few of the words and phrases as he went on.
"Why, this is very good. Here's the real literary touch. Where did you
get this, Lesley? It's not half bad."

As she made no answer, he looked up and saw the guilty laughter in her
eyes, the conscious blushes on her cheeks.

"You don't mean to say----"

"I only wrote it to amuse myself," said Lesley, meekly. "I've had so
little to do since I came here, and I thought I would scribble down my
impressions."

"My dear child," said Mr. Brooke, "if you can write as well as this, you
ought to have a career before you. Why," he added, surveying her, "I had
no idea of this. And I always did have a secret wish that a child of
mine should take to literature. My dear----"

"But I don't want to take to literature, exactly," said Lesley, with a
little gasp. "I only want to amuse myself sometimes--just when I feel
inclined, if you don't think it a great waste of time----"

"Waste of time? Certainly not. Go on, by all means. I shall only ask to
see what you do now and then; I might be able to give you a hint--though
I don't know. Your style is very good already--wants a little
compression, perhaps, but you can make sentences--that's a comfort." And
Mr. Brooke fell to reading the manuscript again, with a very pleased
look upon his face.

It was while he was still reading that a servant brought in some letters
which had just arrived. He opened the first that came to hand almost
unthinkingly, for his mind was quite absorbed in the discovery which he
had made. It was only when his eye rested on the first page of the letter
that memory came back to him. He gave a great start, rose up, putting
Lesley's paper away from him, and went to the other side of the room to
read his letter. It was as follows:--

"DEAR MR. BROOKE,--

"I have already found a house that I think will suit me, and I hope
that Lesley will join me there as soon as you can spare her. I am
afraid that it is a little too late to change our respective ways
of life. It would be no advantage to Lesley to live with parents
who were not agreed.

"Yours very truly,

"ALICE BROOKE."

Caspar