nt with Ayah to the nursery, where she found that in
spite of her disparaging sniffs, Hannah had put out everything poor Ayah
could possibly want.

The children were hungry and tea was a lengthy meal. It was not until
they had departed with Ayah for more washings that Jan found time to
say: "Why don't you take off your hat, Meg dear? I can't see you
properly in that extinguisher. Is it the latest fashion?"

"The very latest."

Meg looked queerly at Jan as she slowly took off her hat.

"There!" she said.

Her hair was cropped as short as a boy's, except for the soft, tawny
rings that framed her face.

"Meg!" Jan cried. "Why on earth have you cut off your hair?"

"Chill penury's the cause. I've turned it into good hard cash. It
happens to be the fashionable colour just now."

"Did you really need to? I thought you were getting quite a good salary
with those Hoffmeyers."

"No English governess gets a _good_ salary in Bremen, and mine was but a
modest remuneration, so I wanted more. Do you remember Lady Penelope
Pottinger?"

"Hazily. She was pretty, wasn't she ... and very smart?"

"She was and is ... smarter than ever now--mind, I put you on your
honour never to mention it--_she's_ got my hair."

"Do you mean she asked you to sell it?"

"No, my child. I offered it for sale and she was all over me with
eagerness to purchase. Hair's the defective wire in her lighting
apparatus. Her own, at the best, is skimpy and straight, though very
much my colour, and what with permanent waving and instantaneous hair
colouring it was positively dwindling away."

"I wish you had let it dwindle."

"No, I rather like her--so I suggested she should give her own poor
locks a rest and have an artistic _postiche_ made with mine; it made
two, one to come and one to go--to the hairdresser. She looks perfectly
charming. I'd no idea my hair was so decent till I saw it on her head."

"I hope _I_ never shall," Jan said gloomily. "I think it was silly of
you, for it makes you look younger and more irresponsible than ever; and
what about posts?"

"I've got a post in view where it won't matter if only I can run things
my own way."

"Will you have to go at once? I thought, perhaps----"

"I wish to take this post at once," Meg interposed quickly, "but it
depends on you whether I get it."

"On me?"

"On no one else. Look here, Jan, will you take me on as nurse to Fay's
children? A real nurse, mind, none of your fine lady arrangem