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Show Esther went - out dlsnlrltedlv. There were so many girls of her own clase snd age Injhe bare wailing roiigS: she Ml jiilTe siircTFiat they sotild aXgel bertha before she had a chance. Hhe felt glad that ahe had June Mason Ma-son to go buck to. June wss always symuathe-.l-. (the went atralsht upstairs up-stairs to ths sitting room with the mauve cualilons. June opened the door before aha had tima to knock, "I thought it waa you. I heard your step. What'a the matter? You sounded dispirited aa you came upatalra." Ksther laughed. "1 believe you must have aecond sight, or whatever they call It. Rut you're right this time; i am rather down on my luck. They haven't anything at the ajteney to suit me. 1" She stopped, looking past June Into the cosy room to where a man had Just risen from s chair by the fire s tall man ahoj looked scrows at her with eyes that were Shepstone. that what I said was only because it seemed the best way to make you trust me. I had iibsululel) no other reason for pretemUng to to-be to-be anything but erh.it I am. I know you'd have gone off at a tangent If I'd said 1 was unfortunate enough to be rich. I know ' She shrugireU her shoulders. 'You didn't even- write to me from your real address you Just put a number." num-ber." she broke Into an angry little lit-tle laugh. "1 suppose you thought I shouldn't understand that a number can alsoVbe "n expensive flat." j He went over to her and tried to take her hand. "Do forgive me; I beg I of you to forgive me I'm a clumsy I Idiot but you don't know how hurt I I've felt about being turned down In ! I this way." . 1 (To be continued.) Ashton hsd soon found consolation. Mickey thought savsgeiy. Ha aondered know. .What waa Driver thinking about It all? Driver waa as safe as the Hank of Kngland; but. all the same, it waa not altogether pleatt;int to feel that he had bad to give himself away lo hla valet. Ha looked up at the clock. Past ! Ho there would not be another post In tonight. to-night. Esther hsd not answered his note, and two whole days had elapsed. June Mason waa maxtng perfume the following morning wben a little knock came at her door. Hhe looked up from her work and lla-tened; lla-tened; after a second aha resumed bar occupation, briskly. Votne In," she said. ' ' Hhe did not raise her eyes when the door opened, though she knew quite well who had entered the room, and for a aecond KSthrr Kheiwtone stood on the I half abashed, halt d-TUnl. AllcKcy Me.-f Me.-f low OS. CHAPTER 7. June Introduced Micky and Esther with a aort of hurried self-conscious-nees. It was not by her Invitation that Micky was here this afternoon and the fact that she had asked him to help Ksther embarrassed her. "Mr. Mellnwes Miss Shepstonc. Ton have both heard of each other, so 1 c:in leave you to entertain one another an-other while I get tea." And ahe bolted out of the room. Esther looked after her with angry eyes. She thought June might have stayed. She took a quick step forward for-ward to call her back, but Mickey stopped her. He put a hand on the door above her, shutting It fast. "I'm going to speak to you. whether wheth-er you like It or not." he said. 8he f.iced ,hlm angrily. She was very flushed. "I don't know what you mean. You hive no right to speuk to me like that. If Miss Mason has asked you hero te meet me " j "June didn't know I was coming. She has no more Idea than the dead that we have ever met before. I haven't told her, and I don't suppose you have or will," he added grimly.! "However, as we are alone, will you threshold hesitatingly. I "Corns In. You'vs got some news; I can see by your face that you have." i Ksther laughed and flushed. "Oh. I have." she auid tremulously. "8Hrh wonderful news." "Humph!" said June drily. "From tha young man, of course? Well, Is he on bis wsy home, and have you got to get a wedding dress In Ihe next five minutes or something?' "Oh, no, it Isn't anything like that." asid Kether. There waa a shads of regret re-gret In ber voice. "But he's In 1'sris he ssys he's not staying there, but he bad to pay a business call." lune gave a ritlhcr unladylike sniff, but Ksther was loo sngrossed to no-lies. no-lies. He seems to have been very lucky, she went on. "He hadn't got very much money when he went away, but he'a got some appointment now; he does not aay what, and . . ." ""a gave a. little excited laugh "he says that he's soing to send me three pounds a week for aa long as he is away . . . len t It wonderfully good of him? I suppose 1 ought not to take it; put he says thst If thlnrs had turned out as Ti hoiied; WS allodia" Ilave been mar-rled, mar-rled, and ao . ... you don't think It's wrong of me to taks it, do you?" she asked snxlously. Juns ross to her feet. She looked chagrined; she had been so sure that this man waa a rotter, that It waa a bit of a setback to hear thla newa "You taks It, my dear, and don't be a goose," she aaid promptly. "As he asva. If you ware his wire you'd lake It. tell me what I've done to offend-you? It'a not fair to take me for a friend and then fling me over aa if I were an old glove. If I've annoyed you, tho least you can do is to tell me how and give me a chance to explain." ex-plain." Esther had walked to the fire and Mellowea followed her. He knew that he had only got a few moments and he meant to make the most of them. "You refuse to see me or to allow me to take you out." he went on urgently. ur-gently. "And you haven't even answered an-swered my last letter. If I have offended of-fended you " "You haven't." said Esther, as he paused. "I'm not at all offended." Then why. In the name of all that's holy" he began again. In exasperation. exaspera-tion. She cut him short. -You didn't tell me the truth about yourself. You made out you were poor. I and aa you're going to be married, it s quits ths right thing If he a well off that he should help you! L hope you won't let jour silly pride mske you snd It back; you'd only hurt hia feelings." "And ao I shall atay on here," Ksther said after a moment. "And If you think you would still like ma to share this room " June promptly pounced upon her. "You dsrllnu! It s too good to be true. Of course, I should love It! I'll go and tell old Mother Kldets atralxht away: It will put her In a good temper for a month." "I've got to so out," declared Ksther. "I had an aplHiintment at hslf-past 2. but I'll love lo come to tea with you," she added. i "Very well. then. 4 o'clock. But who lis the appointment with? You won't I need to find a berth now. You're a I laclv of leisure." "But I ahall try all the same. I don t mean ta tie laxv iust because he'a so You pretended to be someone quite different to what you are. You have a perfect right to. I suppose. If you irlsh; but I hate being deceived and tree Led like that. I suppose you think anything Is good enough for me. Perhaps Per-haps It is, but " Mickey brought his fist down with a bang on the back of tho big armchair. arm-chair. "I give you my word of honor. Miss I good to me. I shall save all I can. 1 went to an agency yesterday " Thev'll rob you." June protested. They siwsys do. I know what agenta are." shs sdded darkly. Ksther laushed. But If alie had hoped great thinga from her call that afternoon shs was disappointed. The thin. aristocratic looking person who owned the "bureau." aa it waa called, looked at her with coldly cold-ly critical eyes, and aaid that shs bad no vacancies likely to suit her. "But you told me lo call." Ksther protested. pro-tested. 1 -t'ertslnly; there might hsve been i something, waa all the answer she received. re-ceived. "Call again tomorrow. If you pies Be " |