"A governess!" This was a ray of light, but he was not sure that he did not prefer darkness. "Oh--a governess?" he repeated, interrogatively. "Of course! They will be tiresome, you may be sure--all children are, and Anglo-Indian ones particularly--at least so I should fancy--and you certainly will not want them disturbing you, while it will never do to have them running riot over the house. Get a good, sensible, responsible person, not too young, and you will find that you need hardly be troubled at all." The Doctor felt that this counsel was good. It was plain, practical, feasible. But there remained a difficulty. How was he to become possessed of the sensible, responsible person who was not too young? "Advertise," suggested his adviser, tersely. Of course! How very foolish of him not to have thought of it! The plainest possible way out of the dilemma. "Thank you, Mrs. Leslie," said the Doctor, rising and taking up his hat. "Thank you. I've no doubt that you're perfectly right. I will advertise." He shook hands with the ladies--gratefully with the one, indifferently with the other--and bowed himself out, hurrying to the waiting Patrick, who had fulfilled his own prophecy in so far that he was by this time "cowld" in every limb, although his temper was exceedingly warm. From the window Kate Merritt watched the brougham roll away and then turned to her sister angrily, tears in her eyes, a hot flush upon her face. Although she was by nature really obstinate, resolute, and persistent, she often exhibited upon the surface a childish pettishness with which her real self was almost absurdly at variance. She spoke now as a spoilt child might have done. "How dreadfully disagreeable you are, Maria! It's too bad, I declare! I believe you do it on purpose--there!" "Do what on purpose? What in the world do you mean?" cried Mrs. Leslie, pausing, sugar-tongs in hand. "You know what I mean!" exclaimed Kate, scarcely able to suppress a sob. "I declare I do not. This is some fad about Doctor Brudenell, I suppose," said the elder sister, resignedly. "Do me the favor to be intelligible, at least, Kate. What is it that you mean?" "Why did you advise him to advertise?" demanded Miss Merritt. "Because it was the most sensible advice I could give him. Is that the grievance? What objection have you to his advertising?" "That I know very well what it will come to. He'll take your advice, and advertise, and get some woman into his house who will pet the children and coax and wheedle him until she gets completely round him, and then we know what will happen," cried Kate, with her handkerchief pressed to her eyes. Mrs. Leslie looked at her, and had some difficulty in restraining a laugh.