And this had been her life for ten years! A wave of pity, not for
herself but for that young girl of eighteen who had once been herself,
that proudly confident young creature who, when suddenly deprived of the
protection of her only parent,--Nora's father had died when she was too
young to remember him,--had so bravely faced the world, serene in the
consciousness that the happiness which was her right was sure to be hers
after a little waiting, dimmed her eyes for a moment. The dreams she had
dreamed after she had received Miss Wickham's letter offering her the
post of companion! She recalled how she had smiled to herself when the
agent with whom she had filed her application congratulated her warmly
on her good fortune in placing herself so promptly, and, by way of
benediction, had wished that she might hold the position for many years.
Many years indeed! That had been no part of her plan. Those nebulous
plans had always been consistently rose-colored. It was impossible to
remember them all now.

Sometimes the unknown Miss Wickham turned out to be a soft-hearted and
sentimental old lady who was completely won by her young companion's
charm and unmistakable air of good breeding. After a short time, she
either adopted her, or, on dying, left her her entire fortune.

Again, she proved to be a perfect ogre. In this variation it was always
the Prince Charming, that looms large in every young girl's dreams, who
finally, after a brief period of unhappiness, came to the rescue and
everything ended happily if somewhat conventionally.

The reality had been sadly different. Miss Wickham had disclosed herself
as being a hard, self-centered, worldly woman who considered that in
furnishing her young companion with board, lodging and a salary of