of three ambitious and
aspiring young "women." "Music and pictures are at a discount in these
hard times, and half the artists, by their own account, are starving. A
poor fellow brought me a couple of water-colours only last month.
Wanted fifteen pounds for them, but was thankful to take five. Very
good pictures, too! I don't pretend to understand these things, but
they look very well in my smoke-room. As for story-writing, there are
half-a-dozen stars who make a fortune in literature, but the vast
majority of authors have a hard fight to earn a living. Many of them
fail altogether and throw it up in despair, like that poor poet fellow--
Chatterton, wasn't it? I never can remember names. Women aren't made
to fight their way, especially country girls, as you are, who have no
idea of life in a great world like London. Depend upon it, my dear, you
would be far happier and safer where you are."

"For the present--yes. I said so myself. If we go to town we shall
have a hard fight for the first few years; but we have faith to believe
that we should succeed in the end, and we would rather fight our battles
while we are young. If _you_ were beginning life, Uncle Loftus, would
you be content to settle down to lifelong obscurity and poverty, or
would you feel that, come what might, you must go down into the arena
and win a crown for yourself?"

Philippa threw back her head and looked at him with challenging eyes.
So young, so brave, so ignorant, poor child, of the real meaning of the
fight which lay before her, what wonder that the man's heart softened,
and that he laid his hand on hers with a quick movement of sympathy.
Mrs Loftus spied the movement with her cold blue eyes, and hastened to
turn on the tap of cold common-sense.

"Perhaps you will kindly tell us in plain words exactly what it is that
you intend to do. Your ideas sound very charming and romantic, but I do
not understand how they are to be carried out. Education is a costly
business, and it is your duty to save rather than to spend. How can you
reconcile the need of earning money with the programme which you have
drawn out?"

"I don't try," said Philippa boldly. "I know it is impossible. You
will think our scheme very daring, Aunt Gertrude, but in plain words it
is this: to take a flat in town in as central a position as we can
afford, and to invest our capital in apprenticing Barney to a firm where
he would have a chance of getting on, and in