poken yet."

"Yet? Do you mean--do you think he is going to?" I said sharply.

A smile grew over Million's small and bonny face. I must say I think she
grows better-looking every day. Why should the Honourable Jim have made
that unkind remark about her hands? Her face is prettier, probably, than
those of half the wealthy girls he meets. Especially when she dimples
like that.

She said demurely: "Do you know, I don't think any one can expect any
one not to notice when any one is getting really fond of any one!"

This involved sentence meant, I knew, the worst.

It meant that she thought the Honourable Jim was going to ask her to
marry him! And she must have some good reason for thinking so! Or he's
an incorrigible flirt, one of the two!

"If he does ask you to marry him," I pursued, feeling as if I were a
mixture of a schoolmistress and Million's own mother combined, "do you
think you are going to say yes you will?"

"Do I think?" echoed Million ardently. "I don't 'think' anything about
it. I just know I will!"

Oh, dear! Ever since I have been Miss Million's maid I have seemed to
get from one difficulty into another. It is worse than ever now that I
know for certain that the poor little thing imagines she is going to
marry Mr. Burke. She won't ever be happy, even if he does marry her for
her money.

But, stop! There is another thing. Her money?

Supposing her money does go? Well, then, the handsome Irishman will jilt
her quite mercilessly. I know enough about him to know that! And I have
a horrible presentiment that this is exactly what is going to happen.
That shrewd-eyed young American downstairs, Mr. Hiram P. Jessop, will
bring an action to recover for himself all Miss Million's dollars. He
will walk off with the fortune. And my mistress, poor little creature,
will be left without either money or love!

As for me, I shall lose my place. I, too, shan't know what to
do--unless----

Oh, yes. There is always one thing I can do. I shall marry. There is the
proposal of Mr. Reginald Brace, who begged me to say yes to him when he
gets back from Paris.

Thinking over it, I am pretty sure that that is what I shall say.

Really it will be a rest to turn to something as simple and
straightforward as Mr. Reginald Brace after all the complications with
which my life has been beset up till now. So that disposes of me,
Beatrice Lovelace. But what about Nellie Million?

All these reflections passed through my mind