'Those marked with a little cross are the answers to me,' whispered Miss Browne. And Challis read these three marked paragraphs:
'Fair Australienne writes: "I am the only daughter of a very wealthy squatter, and have two lovers. One is a squatter on an adjoining station, the other an English baronet travelling in Australia. If I marry the baronet, I must leave my father, who loves me dearly; but I care for him more than I do for the squatter. What would you advise me to do?"
And the 'Aunt Lucy' who conducted the page had replied:
'Marry where your heart dictates. Could you not induce your father to live in England with you?'
'Sweet Rock Lily.—"I am eighteen, and, my friends tell me, very, very beautiful. I am governess in a wealthy family, and the son is deeply in love with me. If he marries me, he will be disinherited. What should I do? I love him very much. And will you tell me a remedy for thin hair?"
'The editor's answer is: "Try to overcome the prejudice of the family, Rock Lily, and all will go well. Bay rum and bitter apples is an excellent tonic."
'Little Wattle Blossom.—"I am seventeen, and only just out of the schoolroom. I am passionately in love with a young handsome man, who loves me in return; but my parents are trying to force me into a marriage with an old foreign nobleman. They have even fixed the wedding day, and I am kept a prisoner. What would you advise me to do?"
'The editor's answer is: "You cannot be forced into a marriage in these days. Refuse firmly. In four years you will be of age. In answer to your second question, your friend had better try massage for the crow's feet and thin neck."'
Challis read in extreme puzzlement.
'I hardly understand,' she said. 'How do you mean—these are to you?'