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 supper.  His wife, too, had had a sharp spell of sickness.  However, she was all right again, he was glad to say.  Why did not Nora come out to them?  They would be glad to offer her a comfortable home, although she must make up her mind to dispense with the luxuries she was accustomed to.  But there was always plenty to eat and a good bed, at any rate.  He knew she would grow to love the life as he had done.  There was a fine freedom about it.  For his part, nothing would ever tempt him back to England, except for a visit when he had put by a little more.  She would find his wife a good sort.  She, too, would welcome her sister-in-law.  They would be no end of company for each other during the long days while the men were away.  And she would be glad to have someone to lend a hand about the house.

He hoped she had been able to save enough money to pay her passage out.  If she hadn’t, he would somehow manage to send whatever was necessary.  But while he was fairly prosperous, ready money was a little more scarce than usual, for the moment.  His wife’s illness had been pretty expensive, what with hiring a woman to do all the work, etc., etc.

The letter settled it.  On the one hand was this heart-breaking waiting while watching one’s little hoard diminish from day to day and always the terrifying and unanswerable question:  What is to be done when it is exhausted?  On the other, a home and the prospect that she might be able in a measure to pay her way by helping her brother’s wife.  Nora’s housewifely accomplishments were but few, yet she could learn, and while learning she could at least take away the sting of those lonely hours, as her brother had said.  On one thing she was resolved:  she would let bygones be bygones.  She would do everything in her power to win her sister-in-law, forgetting everything but that she was the wife of her only brother.

The next few days were the happiest she had known for a long time.  There was a pleasurable excitement in getting ready for so momentous a step.  After having paid her passage she found that she had eight pounds in the world, the result of ten years’ work as lady’s companion.  She wrote to let Mr. Wynne know of her decision and enclosed Miss Pringle’s banknote to the doctor’s wife with an explanatory note asking her to see that it reached her hands safely.  Miss Pringle herself should have a long letter from the New World waiting her on her return.