ceedingly hard that you, Mrs. Merriman, who
work so much for us all day long, should have to work at night as well.
Do let me undertake this."

Mrs. Merriman could scarcely keep the tears back from her eyes when
Rosamund spoke. She could not help liking the girl, notwithstanding her
eccentricities and her very bold act of disobedience on the previous
Sunday. But she was firm in her resolve.

"No, dear," she said; "I am obliged to you for making the offer."

"Hypocrite!" said Lucy angrily to herself. "She knows it cannot be
accepted."

Mrs. Merriman was not looking at Lucy; on the contrary, she was looking
full into Rosamund's face.

"I am obliged to you for making the offer," she continued; "but it is
impossible for me to accept it, for the simple reason that there is just
the possibility that Jane may be going to have some infectious disease,
in which case I could not hear of any other girl in my establishment
running any risk. Therefore you see for yourself that I cannot accept
your offer. I should be unfaithful to your mother if I did."

"Oh, come, Rosamund!" said Laura Everett; "do let us go out and have a
chat together. Of course, Mrs. Merriman is right. We will help you all
we can, Mrs. Merriman, by being extra good girls. Isn't that the best
way?"

Mrs. Merriman admitted that it was, and the two girls, their arms
entwined, went out into the soft summer night. Laura Everett, with her
merry face, blue eyes, and fair hair, was a great contrast to Rosamund
Cunliffe. She was exceedingly clever and fond of books. Most of her
tastes lay, however, in a scientific direction. She was devoted to
chemistry and mathematics, and could already work well in these two
branches of science. She was intensely matter-of-fact, and in reality
had nothing whatever in common with Rosamund.

Lucy Merriman had a great admiration for Laura Everett: in the first
place, because her mother, Lady Everett, was Mrs. Merriman's old friend;
and in the next place, because she possessed, as Lucy expressed it, the
invaluable gift of common-sense. She had rather taken Laura under her
own wing, had intended to make her her special friend, had meant to trot
her round and to show her to other friends; in short, as much as
possible to divide her from Rosamund, whom she considered a most
dangerous and pernicious influence.

But Laura had character of her own, and admired Rosamund; and now that
she saw the girl looking rather pale, with an almost