and went in.

Her boxes were there, standing one upon the other, so as to make more
space in the small room, and on the rather shabby rug by the fireplace
a woman was kneeling with her back to the door.

She did not hear Esther enter, and for a moment the girl stood staring
at her in blank amazement. She could not see her face, but she could
see that the woman was small and slightly built, with a wealth of jet
black hair coiled in becoming carelessness with a couple of yellow
pins to fasten it.

She wore a yellow blouse, which Esther would have thought hideous on
any one else, but somehow against that dark coil of hair it looked
decidedly picturesque.

Esther moved a little, deliberately knocking against a chair to
attract attention, and the girl on the hearthrug looked round with a
startled exclamation; then scrambled to her feet.

"I heard there was a cat," she explained. "Lydia told me that he was
shut up here alone, so I just had to come in and see him. I hope you
don't mind. I brought him some milk."

For a moment Esther was too taken aback to answer. She looked from the
little woman in the yellow blouse to Charlie, sprawled on the rug and
purring lustily, and then back again to the little woman.

She was very attractive looking, that was Esther's first thought, and
her next that she had never seen any one with such a beautiful
complexion.

"You're Miss Shepstone, aren't you?" her visitor queried in the
friendliest of tones. "You see, I know quite a lot about you already.
Lydia told me--Lydia's the housemaid--you'll like her; she's a really
nice girl. My name is June Mason--I live here, too, and I hope we will
be great friends."

There was something so breezily disarming about her that Esther held
out her hand.

"You're very kind. I hardly know what to say...."

"Don't say anything," Miss Mason answered airily. "I'm going to like
you; I knew I should somehow when I first heard your name. I believe
in that sort of thing--I don't know if you do, but as soon as Lydia
told me who it was that had taken this room I knew I should like you.
I think your name is sweet--Esther! So quaint and old-world. Have you
had your tea?--yes, oh, what a shame! I've got some ready for you in
my room. Oh, I hope you don't think it's awful cheek," she broke out
with a sort of embarrassment. "I've got a sitting-room here as well as
a bedroom, and I always make my own tea, it's better than you can get
downstairs. I've got a f