rmed the basis
of a hot argument between her and her tenant; she considered herself
entitled to one week's rent in lieu of notice but Victoria's new born
sense of business had urged the fact that she had had two days notice;
this had saved her three shillings. Miss Briggs laboured under a sense
of injury, so she did not see Victoria to the door.

This was well, for Victoria was able to pay the greengrocer and to get
rid of him in an artistic manner by sending him to post an empty
envelope addressed to an imaginary person, while she directed the
cabman to Paddington; this saved her awkward questions and would leave
Miss Briggs under the impression that she had gone to Charing Cross.

At Paddington station she left her luggage in the cloak-room and went
out to find lodgings. Her quest was short, for she had ceased to be
particular, so that within an hour she was installed in an imposing
ground floor front in the most respectable house in Star Street. The
district was not so refined as Portsea Place, but the house seemed clean
and the quarters were certainly cheaper; eleven and six covered both
them and the usual breakfast.

Victoria surveyed the room in a friendly manner; there was nothing
attractive or repulsive in it; it was clean; the furniture was almost
exactly similar to that which graced her lodgings in Portsea Place and
in Castle Street. The landlady seemed a friendly body, and had already
saved Victoria a drain on her small store by sending her son, an
out-of-work furrier's hand, to fetch the luggage in a handcart.
Remembering that she was a fugitive from justice she gave her name as
Miss Ferris.

Victoria returned from a hurried tea, unpacked with content the trunk
that should have followed her to France. She was almost exhilarated by
the feeling of safety which enveloped her like comforting warmth. The
day was blithe in unison. She felt quite safe, every movement of her
flight having been so skilfully calculated; she was revelling therefore
in her escape from danger, the deepest and truest of all joys.

The next morning, however, found her in the familiar mood of wondering
what was to become of her. After an extremely inferior breakfast which
brought down upon the already awed Mrs Smith well deserved reproaches,
Victoria investigated the _Telegraph_ columns with the usual negative
results and, in the resultant acid frame of mind, went through her
accounts and discovered that her possessions amounted to twe