"All right," she said, without emotion.

"Now," he said, "if you wish to remain in another capacity—if you wish to be Mrs. Russell’s maid——”

"No, I don’t."

"That’s for you to decide, of course; but it’s a pleasant, easy position, and the pay is better."

"I’m not thinking so much about pay. I could have got plenty of jobs that would have paid twice as much as this. Only——”

"Why did you want this?" he asked, with interest.

"Well, I thought I’d——” Her dark face flushed. "I want to learn—nice ways. I want to get on. I don’t want to be—like I am, all my life."

"You’re perfectly right!" he said, looking at her. "I’m glad to see you’re ambitious; but why choose this sort of way to get on? Why don’t you try to get into a good office?"

She shook her head.

"No! It wouldn’t do me a bit of good to get ahead in business if I—didn’t have nice ways. No! I watched the papers a long time for something I could have a try at, and then I saw Mrs. Russell’s ad, with ‘experience unnecessary.’ I knew I wasn’t the kind of girl that they want for a companion, but I thought if I could show ’em that I could be more useful than any one else, I might stand a chance."