the seminary in question, opened her
eyes a good deal at Jasmine's modest request.

"I don't want French, nor German, nor music," quoth the young lady,
"but I do want to be helped to make very smooth and flowing verses,
and I want to have the plots of my novels cut up and criticised--for I
don't mind telling you," continued Jasmine, looking full into Miss
Egerton's deeply-lined and anxious face, "that I mean to live by my
pen. My sister is to be an artist, and I am to be a novelist and
poet."

Miss Egerton owned to herself afterwards that she had never met such
extraordinary girls; but then they were so pretty, and so fresh, and
the times were hard, and the High Schools were carrying off all her
pupils, so though she knew little or nothing of making up verses or
developing plots, she promised to receive Jasmine as a pupil, to
direct her reading, and to help her to the best of her ability. She
was a good and kind-hearted woman, and she made a further suggestion.

"What is to become of your little sister while you are both so busy,
young ladies?" she said.

"Oh, Daisy promises to be very good," said Primrose with a tender
smile at the little one. "Daisy will stay at home, and take care of
the Pink, and she is learning to sew very nicely. When Daisy is good
and stays quietly at home she helps our plan, and does as much for our
cause as any of us."

Miss Egerton looked straight into Daisy's eyes. Long ago this dry and
hard-looking old maid had a little sister like Daisy--a pretty little
lass, who went away to play in the heavenly gardens many and many a
year ago. For the sake of little Constance Miss Egerton felt a great
kindness welling up in her heart towards Daisy Mainwaring.

"Your little sister must not stay at home by herself," she said. "She
shall come to me. While I am teaching Miss Jasmine, Daisy can play or
work as she pleases, only not by herself in your lodgings, young
ladies, but in the room with her sister."

So it was arranged, and the three girls might fairly have been said to
commence their work.

When Primrose had gone to Mr. Danesfield and asked him to allow her to
draw their little capital out of his bank, he had made wonderfully
few objections. Of all their friends, he was the one who had opposed
Primrose's scheme the least, and perhaps for that reason she was more
willing to take his advice, and to be guided by him, than by either
Mrs. Ellsworthy or Miss Martineau. Mr. Danesfield had said to