ll get along nicely, I'm sure,"
said the other soothingly, and Sylvia felt another thrill of foreboding.

"Get along nicely!" Did that mean that she would have to earn her own
living? She dared not inquire further, shrinking from the possibility
of another blow, but it was impossible to keep from wondering what she
should do if indeed there was no provision for her support.

Pixie's adventures in search of employment had proved how difficult it
was for an inexperienced girl to escape becoming the prey of fraudulent
advertisements, and it was humiliating to reflect on her own incapacity.
What could she do that a thousand other girls could not accomplish
equally well? She could play fairly well, sing fairly well, paint
fairly well, trim a hat so that it did not look obviously home-made,
make a trifle or creams, though she was densely ignorant about boiling a
potato. She possessed, in fact, a smattering of many things, but had
not really mastered one which, if needs be, would be a staff through
life.

A hundred poor girls find themselves in this position every year, yet
their short-sighted sisters continue to fritter away their time,
oblivious of the fact that to them also may come the rainy day when they
must face the world alone. Learn to do one thing _well_, compare your
productions, whatever they may be, not with those of other amateurs, but
with perfected professional specimens, and do not be content until your
own reach the same standard. This is a golden rule, which every girl
ought to take to heart.

During the ten days which elapsed before Sylvia's return to London, she
was haunted by the fear of monetary troubles which would make her either
dependent on her own efforts, or a burden upon her aunt's narrow income,
but neither Mrs Nisbet nor her husband referred again to the subject,
and some time must still elapse before she could hear from her father's
lawyer in Colombo.

The week in Paris passed away quietly, but more pleasantly than she
could have believed possible under the circumstances; for nothing could
have been kinder or more considerate than the way in which she was
treated by her father's friends, while the brilliant sunshine acted as a
tonic to the spirits. Every day they went long drives in the Bois, or
took the train to Versailles, and spent long quiet hours in the woods,
and Sylvia even found herself able to enjoy a visit to one of the huge
Magasins, where Mrs Nisbet invested in quite a c