"No more so than we are now, because, quite probably, the kind of neighbours we should be likely to have in the sort of flat we should be able to afford would be worse--much worse--than none at all. The truth is that two lonely, hard-up girls--desperately hard-up girls--will be lonely wherever they are. We are quite prepared for that. Only we intend to choose the particular kind of loneliness which we happen to prefer--don't we, Madge?" "Of course we do." "It makes me wild to hear you say such things. Rather than you should feel like that, I'd marry on nothing." "Thank you, but I wouldn't. I find it quite hard enough to be single on nothing." "You know what I mean; I don't mean actually on nothing. I was reckoning it up the other night. My income----" "Your income's like mine, Jack--capable of considerable increment. And would you be so kind as to change the subject?" But the thing was easier said than done. Jack's thoughts had been started in a groove, and they kept in it; the conversation was continually reverting to the subject of the girls' loneliness. His last words as he left the room were on the familiar theme. "I grant that there are advantages in having a pretty little place like this all to yourselves, especially when you get it at a peppercorn rent; and that it's nice to be your own mistresses, and all that kind of thing. But in the case of you two girls the disadvantages are so many and so serious, that I wonder you don't see them more clearly for yourselves. Anyhow, Madge has had her first peep at them to-day, and I sincerely hope it will be her last; though I am persuaded that before very long you will discover that, as a place of residence for two lone, lorn young women. Clover Cottage has its drawbacks." When Ella returned from saying farewell to Mr. Martyn in the hall, she glanced at Madge and laughed. "Jack's in his prophetic mood." "I shouldn't be surprised if his prophecy's inspired." Her tone was unexpectedly serious. Ella stared. "What do you mean?" "What I say." "You're oracular, my dear. What do you say?" "That I think it quite possible that we shall find that residence at Clover Cottage has its drawbacks; I've lighted on one or two of them already." Ella leaned against the edge of the table, regarding the speaker with twinkling eyes and smiling lips. "My dear, you don't mean to say that that crazy creature has left such an impression on your mind?" "You see, my dear Ella, I haven't told you all the story. I felt that I had given Mr. Martyn a sufficient handle against us as it was; so I refrained." "Pray what else is there to tell? To judge from your looks and manner one would think that there was something dreadful." "I don't know about dreadful, but there certainly is something--odd. To begin with, that wretched woman was not my only visitor."