te of our house until you chose for yourself your own
home. But now, Elsie, I know William Dalzell is not the man to encumber
himself with a penniless wife and a penniless sister-in-law."

"He is not mercenary--I am sure he is not," said Elsie with animation.

"Perhaps he is not positively mercenary; but after all am I worthy of
the sacrifice? Look at me, Elsie; even your sisterly partiality cannot
make a beauty of me. My turn of mind is not suited to his; I have
always felt that; and, above all, I am not very fond of him."

"Not very!"

"No; I have liked him a good deal; but now in this crisis, when we have
to begin life in earnest--when I am puzzling myself how to find food
and clothing and shelter for you and me--I feel as if Mr. Dalzell's
past attentions belonged to another world altogether, so I am putting
them aside completely."

"Ah! but Jane, only listen to me. If he were to come now, and lay
himself and all that he has at your feet, that would prove that he was
no fortune-hunter, but a real true lover, as I always believed him to
be."

"He will not do it," said Jane, quietly; and she now began to make some
memoranda.

"We have no ornaments, Elsie," said she, sadly.

"No; I never heard you regret the want of them before."

"I should like to have something to sell. Emilia Chalmers has 200
pounds worth of jewellery, most of it left by her aunt. If we had so
much, we might convert it into money, and might stock a little shop."

"A shop!" said Elsie, shuddering.

"Why not? One is more independent keeping a shop than in a governess's
situation, and there my business knowledge would be of use. It is wrong
and absurd to have a terror of a shop."

"I cannot help feeling a great repugnance to shopkeeping."

"Then would you rather be a governess, supposing you were capable?"

"Oh, Jane, that is such a hard life. I should be separated from you;
and then one is worried by the children, and snubbed by the parents,
sneered at by servants, and ignored by visitors."

"Then dressmaking? You work beautifully."

"The late hours, and the close rooms; do you think I could stand it?"

"I am a little afraid for you," said Jane, thoughtfully. "What would
you like to do?"

"Why, I have never thought of doing anything but being with you,
working a little, reading a little, going out a little, and having
nobody over me but you, my own darling sister. It stuns me to be told
that I must go to work for a livelihood."