"May I ask if _you_ are Mrs. Blake?"

"Write and you may find out; although I might as well tell you, you
won't answer. Mrs. Blake will be wanting someone of a very different
appearance," said the woman rudely.

"I am indeed unfortunate," said Nora with a bow.

The woman closed the gate with a bang and turned toward the house as
Nora walked rapidly away. She decided to answer no more advertisements.

One morning, at the end of the week, the post brought her three letters.
One from its postmark was clearly from her brother in Canada. She put
that aside for the moment to be read at her leisure.

[Illustration: NORA OVERHEARS FRANK SAY WIVES ARE MADE FOR WORK ONLY.]

The Yorkshire lady, it appeared, was blind and required a companion to
read to her and to assist in preparing some memoirs which her dead
brother had left uncompleted. She offered Nora a refined home with every
comfort that a lady could desire, but--there was no salary attached to
the position. The third was from one of the agencies. A client was
prepared to offer a lady companion the magnificent sum of ten shillings
a week and her lunch. Out of her salary Nora would be expected,
therefore, to find herself a room, clothes, breakfast and supper!

Her brother's letter was, as always, kind and affectionate. He rather
vaguely apologized for his delay in replying to hers, written at the
time of Miss Wickham's death. He had been frightfully busy, up at dawn
and so tired at night that he was glad to tumble into bed right after