ave a great deal of sense and experience,
and I know that you have a knack of making money go very far indeed.
You ask us what our plans are--well, I really don't think we have got
any, have we, Jasmine?"

"No," said Jasmine, in her shortest tones. "We mean to live as we
always did. Why can't people leave us in peace?"

Miss Martineau cleared her throat, looked with some compassion at
Jasmine, whom she thought it best to treat as a spoilt child, and then
turned her attention to Primrose.

"My dear," she said, "I am willing to waive my first head, to cast it
aside, to pass it over, and consider my second. My dear Primrose, the
first thing to consider in making your plans--I take no notice of
Jasmine's somewhat childish remarks--is _on_ what you have to live."

Primrose knit her brows.

"I suppose," she said slowly, "we shall have what we always had--we
spent very little money in the past, and, of course, we shall require
still less now. We are fond of Rosebury; I think we shall do for the
present at least just what Jasmine says, and stay on quietly here."

Miss Martineau cleared her throat again.

"My dear girl," she said, "even to live here you must have something
to live on. Now, are you aware that your mother's annuity as a
captain's widow ceases with her death? I believe something very
trifling will still be allowed to you, as his orphans, but on that
point I'm rather in the dark."

"Mother always did get ten pounds a year apiece for us," said
Primrose.

"Well, yes, my dear, we will suppose, and trust, and hope that that
small sum will still be continued; but even at Rosebury you three
girls cannot live on thirty pounds a year."

"But there is the money in the bank," said Jasmine speaking in a more
interested tone. "You remember Primrose dear, how whenever mother
wanted some money she just wrote a cheque, and we took it down to Mr.
Danesfield, and he gave us nice shining gold for it. Sometimes it was
ten pounds, sometimes it was five pounds, and sometimes it was only
two pounds; but whenever we went to Mr. Danesfield's bank with
mother's cheque he gave us the money. I suppose, Primrose, you can
have a cheque-book now, and Mr. Danesfield can give you the money."

"Yes," said Primrose, in a cheerful tone, "I forgot about the money in
the bank; mother often told me there was plenty. Even if we can't
quite live on our thirty pounds a year, we can manage with what money
dear mamma had in the bank."

Miss M