_MRS. BEATON_

"Guided thus, O friend of mine,
Let us walk our little way;
Knowing by each beckoning sign
That we are not quite astray."
--WHITTIER.

It was difficult for Elsie, entering Soho Square for the first time, to
realise that it had been one of the most fashionable parts of London
till far into the last century. That touch of distinction which still
lingers about some of the former haunts of greatness has entirely
deserted this old square, and it requires an effort to picture the state
of the four ambassadors and the pomp of the nobility who once made it
their home. But the garden lacks not that charm of shadowy trees which
so often lends a grace to the nooks and corners of the great city, and
it is green enough to rest the eyes that are weary with watching the
endless march of life.

Elsie made inquiries at a shop in Charles Street, and was fortunate
enough to light upon a tradesman who knew something of Mrs. Penn. She
had left the neighbourhood, he believed, but he could tell the number of
the house she had occupied. It was close by, on the left hand as you
entered the square.

As Mrs. Tryon had said, the ground-floor was given up to business, but
the upper floors were still let to lodgers. A quiet-looking young widow
appeared in answer to Elsie's summons. "No, ma'am, I didn't know Mrs.
Penn," she said civilly. "She gave up this house nearly two years ago,
and I've only been here six months. It was my sister who took the house
after Mrs. Penn."

"Then there is no hope of getting the information I want," sighed Elsie;
"unless any of Mrs. Penn's lodgers are here still."

"No, ma'am," said the widow again; "they are all new-comers. I am sorry
that I can't help you."

There was a pause; Elsie was hesitating before she made a request.
"There is a room at the top of the house which I should like to see,"
she said with an effort.

"There are three rooms at the very top," the landlady answered. "Two are
small, but the front room is a good size."

"It is the largest room which I want to see," Elsie said.

The widow considered for a moment. "It's let to a gentleman who teaches
languages and translates foreign books into English," she remarked at
last. "He's out now, I think. Will you follow me, ma'am?"

Elsie's heart beat faster. As she ascended flight after flight of stairs
she told herself that there was nothing to be learnt by going into the
room which