ning of the expected governess' arrival dawned cold and dreary.
Rain fell in torrents, and the streets were drenched and slippery with
slush. All day Nan moped in unhappy expectation of her anticipated
thralldom. At every sound of rumbling wheels before the door she would
fly to the window, torturing herself with the belief that this was the
hack which was conveying the tyrant-governess to the victim-pupil, and
she felt a curious sort of disappointment when no such vehicle appeared
and no such personage arrived, for always the rumbling wheels belonged
to some grocer's cart or butcher's wagon, and by evening the invader
had still not appeared. Then Nan plucked up courage.

"I shouldn't wonder if she had been switched off the road," she said to
Delia, inclining to be quite jolly at the mere thought of such a
grateful possibility. And she pictured to herself an accommodating
engine whizzing the unwelcome guest off into some remote region from
which she would never see the desirability of returning. Nan wished
her no ill, but she did not wish herself ill either. She ate her
dinner quite contentedly, and was just going to settle down comfortably
to some thrilling tale of adventure when Br--r--r! went the bell, and
she knew her fate had descended upon her.

She flew to the parlor and hid behind the folding-door. She heard
Delia ascend the basement stairs. She heard her come along the hall,
and then--it was very strange, but Nan really thought she heard her
give a smothered exclamation that was instantly followed by the word of
warning, "Hush!"--but she must have been mistaken, for it was only Mr.
Turner who was speaking. He was asking for Nan herself. She slipped
from behind the door with the hope at her heart that even now, at the
last minute, the governess had "backed out." Certainly it looked as if
she had, since she saw only the lawyer standing by the hat-stand. She
held out her hand to him with a real smile of greeting when--he stepped
aside and there stood the governess.

At first Nan thought it must be some little girl, so small and slender
looked the figure beside that of the tall man. The eyes beneath the
rain-soaked brim of the governess' hat were soft and dark; her hair was
brown, and the damp wind had blown it into innumerable little curls and
tendrils about her temples, where it took on a ruddy sheen in the gas
light. Her nose was delicate and short; her mouth, which was not
small, was fascinating