was, she said, alone in the world once more, for her husband, having
spent all her savings, had with determined Scotch thriftiness
incontinently died, and left her to shift for herself. She had been
making a mean living as an ironer in a Parisian laundry, when Alexander
McNeill had sent for her to Apricale to help him deliver a young lady
from the Jesuits; and she saw in her curious meeting with Tinker, at the
country seat of the young Monteleone, the finger of Providence pointing
the way back to her old situation. Would he lay the matter before his
father, and support her petition?

Tinker was somewhat taken aback, and said, "But I'm too old for a nurse."

"Oh, there are lots of things I could do, Master Tinker. There are
really," said Selina. "You want a housekeeper when you're at the Refuge,
a housekeeper who could get up your linen and Sir Tancred's as they can't
do it at Farndon-Pryze. You want someone to look after you, when you've
got a cold. You never did take any care of yourself." She was wringing
her hands in her earnestness.

"You'd be a sort of valet-housekeeper then," said Tinker, pondering the
matter.

"Yes, and I should want very little wages. All I want is to be in your
service again. I never ought to have left it. I never had no real peace
all the time I was married, what with wondering how you were being looked
after, and whether you was ill or not. I always took in _The Morning
Post_, though Angus did grumble at the expense, all the time I was in
Paris, on purpose to see where you was; and every day I looked at the
Births, Deaths, and Marriages first, to see if anything had happened to
you."

She stopped; and Tinker was silent a while, thinking; then he said, "Do
you think you could act as maid to Elsie?"

"Why, of course I could, Master Tinker!"

"She wants someone to brush her hair most," said Tinker thoughtfully.

"I don't want a maid. And I don't want anyone to brush my hair but you,"
said Elsie firmly. "No one could do it so well."

"Oh, you'll soon get used to Selina's doing it," said Tinker cheerfully.
"And you'll find it so much more--so much more important having a maid of
your own. You'll feel so grown-up, don't you know? I tell you what,
we'll go upstairs, and Selina can have a try at it, while I talk to my
father."

Elsie shook her head doubtfully; but she came. Tinker left them at the
door of Elsie's room, and went to his father. He found him dressing, and