ed in black haircloth; an india-rubber
plant in the centre of the table, and an American organ in the corner!
The visitor rolled her eyes to the ceiling, and went through an
expressive pantomime of despair, for she was an artistic, beauty-loving
creature, whose spirits were sensibly affected by the colour of a
wallpaper, and to whom it was a real trial to live in ugly surroundings.

She had barely time to compose herself before the door opened, and the
mistress of the house made her appearance.

Mrs Baker was an old lady of the white rabbit type, weak-eyed, anaemic,
and kindly, and evidently unaccustomed to the engagement of "young
persons," for she shook hands with Norah, seated herself in an easy
chair by the fire, and waited developments with a blandly inquiring
smile.

It was evident that Norah was expected to advertise her capabilities
without the aid of the usual cross-questionings, so, taking her courage
in both hands, she launched forth into explanations, prefaced, it must
sorrowfully be admitted, by a reference to better days; confessed to a
passion for reading aloud and playing on the harmonium, and dwelt at
length on the advantages of her scholastic training. When at last she
paused for breath, after having talked for a good five minutes on end,
the old lady blinked her eyes, and said:

"What, love?--I didn't quite catch what you were saying. I am a little
hard of hearing!"

"I might have known it!" Norah told herself reproachfully. "Deaf, of
course! It just completes the character," and in a heightened voice she
proceeded to repeat every word of her former statement. Signs of
impatience became visible on the listener's face as she proceeded, and
she hurried on in order to announce the name of her musical professor
before she should be interrupted by the question which was evidently
hovering on the old lady's lips.

"Did you ever happen to meet a family named Henstock, who lived in
Finsbury Park? A corner house it was--white, with green posts at the
gate?" queried Mrs Baker, bending forward with an expression of
breathless curiosity.

Norah gasped, and shook her head. The connection between the family of
Henstock in the corner house in Finsbury Park, and her own application
for the post of companion, was so exceedingly remote as to reduce her to
a condition of petrified silence.

"How very extraordinary! You are so like Mary Ellen, the very image of
Mary Ellen! She was a great favourite of