t in the world," said Katty cheerfully. "Miss de
Lisle's that kind to me--I'll be the great cook some day, if I kape on
watchin' her. She's not like the fine English cooks I've heard of,
that 'ud no more let you see how they made so much as a pudding than
they'd fly over the moon. 'Tis Bridie has the bad luck, to be
housemaid."

Norah knew why, and sighed. There were moments when her housekeeper
seemed a burden too great to be borne.

"But Mr. Allenby's very pleasant with her, and she says wance you find
out that Sarah isn't made of wood she's not so bad. She found that
out when she let fly a pillow at her, and they bedmaking," said Katty,
with a joyous twinkle. "'Tis herself had great courage to do that
same, hadn't she, now, miss?"

"She had, indeed," Norah said, laughing. The spectacle of the stiff
Sarah, overwhelmed with a sudden pillow, was indeed staggering.

"And then, haven't we Con to cheer us up if we get lonely?" said
Katty. "And Misther Jones and the groom--they're very friendly. And
the money we'll have to send home! But you'd be wishful for Ireland,
no matter how happy you'd be."

The telephone bell rang sharply, and Norah ran to answer it. It was
Jim.

"That you, Nor?" said his deep voice. "Good--I'm in a hurry. I say,
can you take in a Tired Person to-night?"

Norah gasped.

"Oh, certainly!" she said, grimly. "Who is it, Jimmy? Not you or
Wally?"

"No such luck," said her brother. "It's a chap I met last night; he's
just out of a convalescent home, and a bit down on his luck." His
voice died away in a complicated jumble of whir and buzz, the bell
rang frantically, and Norah, like thousands of other people, murmured
her opinion of the telephone and all its works.

"Are you there?" she asked.

"B-z-z-z-z-z!" said the telephone.

Norah waited a little, anxiously debating whether it would be more
prudent to ring up herself and demand the last speaker, or to keep
quiet and trust to Jim to regain his connexion. Finally, she decided
to ring: and was just about to put down the receiver when Jim's voice
said, "Are you there?" in her ear sharply, and once more collapsed
into a whir. She waited again, in dead silence. At last she rang.
Nothing happened, so she rang again.

"Number, please?" said a bored voice.

"Some one was speaking to me--you've cut me off," said Norah
frantically.

"I've been trying to get you for the last ten minutes. You shouldn't
have rung off," said