and her character ruined for ever. We do a
lot at our school for those poor slum-girls, but we never do anything
for girls in our class. Now, I mean my girl in future to be Maggie
Howland."

"Aneta, you are absurd!"

"I mean it, auntie; her father's daughter deserves help. Her father
was as good a man as ever lived, and for his sake something ought to
be done for his only child. As to her mother"----

"Yes, the woman who has married a person of the name of Martin, and to
whose house I presume we are going"----

"Auntie, I have rather a shock to give you. Poor Maggie did mean to
imply that her stepfather was in a different class of life from what
he is. He is a--grocer!"

Lady Lysle put up her hand to pull the check-string.

"Pray, auntie, don't do that. Maggie isn't the daughter of a grocer,
and she can't help her mother having married this dreadful man. I want
Maggie to have nothing to do with her stepfather in the future, and I
mean to carry out my ideas, and you have got to help me."

"Indeed, I will do nothing of the kind. What a disgraceful girl! She
must leave Aylmer House at once."

"Then I will go too," said Aneta.

"Aneta, I never knew you behave in such a way before."

"Come, auntie darling, you know you are the sweetest and the most
loving and sympathetic person in the world; and why should you turn
away from a poor little girl who quite against her own will finds
herself the stepdaughter of a grocer? Maggie has given me to
understand that he is a dreadful man. She is horrified with him, and
what I am going now to Laburnum Villa about is to try to prevent his
visiting the school with his wife on Saturday. I will do the talking,
dear, and you have only to sit by and look dignified."

"I never was put in such a dreadful position before," said Lady Lysle,
"and really even you, Aneta, go too far when you expect me to do
this."

"But you would visit a poor woman in East London without the smallest
compunction," said Aneta.

"That is different," replied Lady Lysle with dignity.

"It is different," replied Aneta; "but the difference lies in the fact
that the grocer's wife is very much higher up in the social scale than
the East End woman."

"Oh my dear child, this is really appalling! I have always distrusted
that Miss Howland. Does Mrs. Ward know of your project?"

"Not yet, but she will to-night."

"And what am I to do when I visit this person?"

"Just look your dear, sweet, dignified self,