? Madame thinks she ought to settle upon music as a profession."

Helen had placed Daisy's rocking chair for her guest. There was a slant
ray of sunshine coming in the window, and the room had a habitable air
that some people always give. Daisy Bell possessed this in an eminent
degree.

"I sometimes wish I were not alone," began Miss Craven. "Only I feel
that girls are not attracted to me. I suppose I am too old for girls,
and I don't know enough for the young ladies. I almost made up my mind
that I wouldn't stay, but Mrs. Aldred has been so kind. And perhaps it
would not be better anywhere else. I am nineteen."

The girls had speculated about her age. Miss Mays said she was at least
twenty-five.

"And I'm not fifteen yet," laughing brightly.

"I wish I could be fifteen, but I would not like to go back and live the
four years over again. My life has been a very dreary one."

"You are so reserved. Don't you really like girls?"

"I like you. I have ever since that day you first talked to me. But you
have so many friends, and I do not want to intrude. I do not know how to
make friends," hesitatingly, while the tears flooded her eyes.

"Were you compelled to live alone?" Helen did not want to seem over
curious. She had visions of some queer old aunt who had shut her doors
to everybody.

"Yes. I'd like to tell you some things I could not tell Mrs. Aldred; at
least, my guardian's wife advised me not to be too frank about my life,
since it probably would not interest anybody, or if it did they would
pretend to admire me and care for the money's sake and what they could
get out of me. Grandfather always said so. I don't know as he meant me
to have it all, but he left no will, and as there was no one else it had
to come to me."

"I'd like to hear about it if you did not mind. And--if you would like
to be friends----"

"Oh, you don't know how dreary it is to be so much alone. Mrs. Davis
thought the school such a foolish plan. But I was so ignorant. I didn't
feel that I could go into society without knowing something. And I have
learned a good deal by watching the girls. Many of them have such lovely
manners. But if I had just one friend to talk things over with----"

There was such a longing in her tone that it seemed fairly to sweep
through Helen.

"I don't know whether I should be a very judicious friend." Oh, if Mrs.
Van Dorn could only set this girl straight, she thought, for that
lady's wisdom had come to be