her: "My
dear, you and your sisters are in some particulars in a very unique
and unfortunate position. You are all three very young, yet you are
absolutely your own mistresses. No one in all the world has any real
control over you. If you ask me for your money, I cannot refuse you--I
have absolutely no choice in the matter; the money is yours, and when
you want it you must have it. Now I tell you plainly that Mrs.
Ellsworthy and Miss Martineau are dreadfully shocked with your scheme.
I may be wrong, but I confess I am not shocked. I fancy that you are
the kind of girls who will come out victorious, and that though you
will have rather a hard struggle, you will not be beaten; but there is
one thing I am most anxious to do for you, and that is to keep part of
your money. You have exactly two hundred pounds. How much of this
little capital do you propose to spend a year?"

"As little as ever we can," answered Primrose.

"Yes, my dear young lady, but you must have some sort of idea with
regard to your expenses. I would counsel you on no account to spend
more of your capital than seventy pounds a year; by restricting
yourselves to this sum you will have a very tiny but certain, income
for two years, and will have something to fall back on even in the
third year, if you are not then earning enough. Suppose I divide your
seventy pounds into four quarterly instalments, and send it to you as
you require it. You know nothing of keeping a banking account
yourself, and it will absolutely not be safe for you to live in London
lodgings, and have a large sum of money with you. Take my advice in
this particular, Miss Primrose, and allow me still to be your banker."

"There is one little difficulty," said Primrose; "we really want to be
independent, and as we know that there will be difficulties and
discouragements in the career we are marking out for ourselves, and
that we may often grow faint-hearted and lonely, Jasmine and I feel
that we had better put ourselves quite out of the way of temptation.
We have, therefore, made up our minds not to give our address to any
one in Rosebury for at least two years. How can you send us the money,
Mr. Danesfield, if you don't know where to send it?"

"My dear young lady, I fear you are a little bit too headstrong, and
though I admire your spirit, I cannot quite approve of your cutting
yourselves off from all communications with your friends. However, it
is not for me to interfere. Will this s