mly returned them. She had two sets flying now, like tennis balls,
she wrote to Miss Du Prel: one set across the Channel. The publishers,
she feared, played the best game, but she had the English quality of not
knowing when she was beaten. Valeria had succeeded in finding a place
for two of the articles. This was encouraging, but funds were running
alarmingly low.

The _apartement_ would have either to be given up, or to be taken on for
another term, at the end of the week. A decision must be made. Hadria
was dismayed to find her strength beginning to fail. That made the
thought of the future alarming. With health and vigour nothing seemed
impossible, but without that----

It seemed absurd that there should be so much difficulty about earning a
living. Other women had done it. Valeria had always made light of the
matter--when she had the theory of the sovereignty of the will to
support.

Another couple of articles which seemed to their creator to possess
popular qualities were sent off.

But after a weary delay, they shared the fate of their predecessors.
Hadria now moved into a smaller suite of rooms, parting regretfully with
Therese, and flinging herself once more on the mercy of a landlady. This
time M. Thillard had discovered the lodging for her; a shabby, but sunny
little house, kept by a motherly woman with a reputation for perfect
honesty. Expenses were thus kept down, but unhappily very little was
coming in to meet them. It was impossible to pull through the year at
this rate. But, of course, there was daily hope of something turning up.
The arrival of the post was always an exciting moment. At last Hadria
wrote to ask Algitha to try and sell for her a spray of diamonds, worth
about eighty pounds.

Time must be gained, at all hazards. Algitha tried everywhere, and
enquired in all directions, but could not get more than five-and-twenty
pounds for it. She felt anxious about her sister, and thought of coming
over to Paris to see her, in order to talk over some matters that could
no longer be kept out of sight.

Algitha had wished to give Hadria an opportunity for work and rest, and
to avoid recurrence of worry; but it was no longer possible or fair to
conceal the fact that there were troubles looming ahead, at Dunaghee.
Their father had suffered several severe losses through some bank
failures; and now that wretched company in which he had always had such
faith appeared to be shaky, and if that were also to