at authority on dress and, when her cousin returned, began to study
her attire critically.

She wore a very simply made dress of moss-green velveteen, high to the
throat, and relieved by a deep falling collar of old point. Elspeth had
brought her a spray of white banksia roses, but otherwise she wore no
ornament. Her style was very different from her cousin's; but Rose could
not help approving of it, its severity suited Erica.

"You look lovely!" she exclaimed. "Lady Caroline will quite lose her
heart to you! I think you should have that dress cut low in front,
though. It is a shame not to show such a pretty neck as you must have."

"Oh, no!" said Erica, quickly; "father can't endure low dresses."

"One can't always dress to please one's father," said Rose. "For the
matter of that, I believe papa doesn't like them; but I always
wear them. You see it is more economical, one must dress much more
expensively if one goes in for high dresses. A little display of neck
and arms, and any old rag will look dressy and fashionable, and though I
don't care about economy, mamma does."

"You don't have an allowance, then?"

"No; papa declared I ought to dress on eighty pounds a year, but I never
could make both ends meet, and I got a tiresome long bill at Langdon's,
and that vexed him, so now I get what I like and mamma pays."

Erica made no comment, but was not a little amazed. Presently Mrs.
Fane-Smith came in, and seemed well pleased with her niece's appearance.

"You have the old point!" she exclaimed.

"Aunt Jean gave it to me," said Erica. "She never would part with it
because it was grandmamma's at least, she did sell it once, when father
was ill years ago, and we were at our wit's end for money, but she got
it back again before the end of the year."

Mrs. Fane-Smith colored deeply, partly at the idea of her mother's
lace being taken to a pawnbroker's, partly to hear that her brother and
sister had ever been reduced to such straits. She made an excuse to take
Erica away to her room, and there questioned her more than she had yet
done about her home.

"I thought your father was so strong," she said. "Yet you speak as if he
had had several illnesses."

"He has," replied Erica. "Twice I can remember the time when they
thought him dying, besides after the riot last year. Yes, he is strong,
but, you see, he has such a hard life. It is bad enough now, and I doubt
if any one knows how fearfully he overworked himself duri