else I am good at.'

No one would hear of this suggestion, and later in the day Agatha
confided to Gwen a little of her anxiety about Alick Lester and Elfie.

'I do not think it is fancy. He is a great deal here--more than I
like--and now he has no eyes or ears for any one but her. I do not
know whether she likes him; I notice she is self-conscious and absorbed
when he is here, and that is not at all natural to her.'

'What prospects has he?' asked Gwen abruptly.

'I don't know. I sometimes wish I knew a little more about him. Ever
since he has opened the cupboard, he has had something weighing on his
mind, and though he tells me he has only about 200 pounds a year to
live upon, he seems in no hurry to get anything to do. It is an idle
life for him in this small village. He is with his cousin most of his
time, but he drops in to see us in the evening; in fact, they both come
here a great deal, and though Miss Miller has put her veto on it,
nothing will keep them away.'

'I wish Elfie would marry. She is not fit to fight life's battle;' and
Gwen sighed as she spoke, and her face relapsed into its now habitual
gloom.

But the next day brought a letter that decided Elfie's fate.

She opened it with a grimace at the handwriting.

'Now what does Cousin James want to say to me! Do you think he has
heard of our misfortunes?'

She read on, and her face grew thoughtful. Instead of handing it over
to any of her sisters to read, she left the room with it in her hand.

And in the privacy of her own bedroom she spread it out before her, and
a hard and sore battle commenced in her heart.

The letter was as follows:--

'DEAR ELFRIDA,--

'I have just heard in the city from Watkins, that your clever sister
has squandered out in California, all the money that was left you by
our aunt. It is a pity that you are all so wilful and ignorant about
money matters. However, I am quite willing to come forward and offer
my help, though in these hard times, with such an establishment as Dane
Hall to keep up, I find it increasingly difficult to live within my
income. Your cousin Helen is in very delicate health, and has for some
time past felt unequal to managing our large household. She needs some
bright companionship; and I now offer you a home with us, on condition
that you make yourself generally useful, and relieve your cousin of all
the house-keeping details that fret and annoy her. I shall allow you a
handsome