arry in the luggage, and
now stood erect with flaming face and angry eyes. "Sure an' I tould yez
she was a lady, an' anny wan cud see she was a lady, an' Carolan is wan
av the best names in Ireland--indade it is."

"You may leave the room, Mary," said Miss Trappeme loftily.

"Lave the room, is it, miss? Widout maning anny disrespect to yez, I
might as well be telling yez that I'm ready to lave the place intirely,
an' so is the cook an' stableman, an' the gardener. Sure none av
us--having been used to the gintry--want to sthay in a place where we do
be getting talked at all day."

The prospect of all her servants leaving simultaneously was too awful
for Mrs. Trappeme to contemplate. So she capitulated.

"Don't be so hasty, Mary. I suppose, then, that Miss Carolan is an
Irishwoman?"

"She is that, indade. Sore an' her swate face toold me so before she
spoke to me at all, at all."

"Then you must look after her wants yery carefully, Mary. She will only
be here for a few weeks."

Mary's angry eyes softened. "I will that ma'am. Sure she's a sweet young
lady wid the best blood in her, I'm thinkin'."

Miss Trappeme sniffed.

CHAPTER VIII ~ MYRA AND SHEILA

There was nothing mysterious about Sheila Carolan; her story was a very
simple one. Her parents were both dead, and she had no relatives, with
the exception of an aunt, and with her she had lived for the last five
years. The two, however, did not agree very well, and Sheila being of a
very independent spirit, and possessing a few hundred pounds of her own,
frankly told her relative that she intended to make her own way in the
world. There was living in North Queensland a former great friend of her
mother's--a Mrs. Farrow, whose husband was the owner of a large cattle
station near Dalrymple--and to her she wrote asking her if she could
help her to obtain a situation as a governess. Six weeks later she
received a warmly worded and almost affectionate letter.

"My dear Sheila,--Why did you not write to me long, long
ago, and tell me that you and your Aunt Margaret did not get
on well together! I remember as a girl that she was somewhat
'crotchetty.' I am not going to write you a long letter. _I
want you to come to us_. Be my children's governess--and I
really do want a governess for them--but remember that you
are coming to your mother's friend and schoolmate, and that
although you will receive L100 a year--if that is