“I obeyed; and at about three o’clock, Mrs. Blake came into the room accompanied by two handsomely dressed ladies, whom she addressed as Mrs. Leslie, and Miss Dundas, and who, as I afterwards found out, were sisters. Mrs. Leslie was a tall, dark, good-looking woman about thirty-five years of age. Miss Dundas, who was twenty-five years old and very pretty, was always called ‘Kitty’ by her sister.
“Mrs. Blake introduced me to the ladies, who shook me by the hand, both of them speaking kindly to me; and I thought to myself that it would be very pleasant to live with such nice people.
“In a short time, Mrs. Leslie asked me if I was quite ready to go. I replied that I was. My old schoolmistress bade me good bye, kissed me, and gave me a sovereign; then she shook hands with the two ladies, who immediately left the room, taking me with them. At the door of the house, a brougham was waiting; the ladies and I got in; the coachman touched the horses with his whip, and in another moment I was rapidly being driven away from the house in which I had passed five dull, but not unhappy years. I felt a little sorrowful, and the tears rose to my eyes; but I soon recovered my spirits; the novelty of the whole thing was very pleasing; I had never before been in such a fine carriage, and I leant back against the soft cushions, feeling very comfortable, and thinking that my new friends must be very rich people. The two ladies conversed in low tones, glancing occasionally at me; and after a long drive, the brougham stopped at a house in a broad street; the name of which I have forgotten; but it is, I know, somewhere in Kensington.
“The house, which was a large one, stood back a little from the street, in a garden surrounded by a high wall. We got out of the carriage; Mrs. Leslie touched the button of an electric bell, and in a moment the garden gate swung open, then we walked up a short path and entered the house. Mrs. Leslie at once took me upstairs to a prettily furnished bedroom, and told me to make myself at home; then she gave me a kiss, and went away. A minute or two afterwards, my box was brought in by two smartly dressed servant girls, one of whom remained in the room and assisted me to unpack my things; and when we had put everything away in the chest of drawers, and wardrobe, she brushed my hair, which then was very long, hanging loose over my shoulders nearly down to my waist”
Here Frances paused for a moment in the telling of her story, and said, “I have always regretted the loss of my beautiful hair.”
“It will grow again, whenever you choose to let it,” I said, playing with the short curls on her forehead.
She continued her narrative. “The servant girl showed me downstairs, and into a most charming little drawing-room, where I found Mrs. Leslie, Miss Dundas, and five other young ladies, sitting on low easy-chairs, or reclining on couches, having afternoon tea. These young ladies were all pretty, and young; the eldest not being more than twenty-five years old, and they were all elegantly dressed. On seeing me, they all got up from their seats, and crowded round me, looking at me with great interest, admiring my hair, and saying I was a pretty girl; and when I blushed at their outspoken compliments, they all laughed at me. But they were kindly in their manner, and I soon found myself comfortably seated in an easy-chair, eating a piece of cake, and sipping a cup of tea, such as I had never before tasted in all my life. The time slipped away rapidly; I felt very jolly, and quickly got on intimate terms with the young ladies, who did not treat me as a schoolgirl, but quite as if I had been a grown-up woman. They chatted freely with me, and much to my surprise, I heard that they all lived in the house.
“At half-past seven o’clock a bell rang, then we all went into a handsomely furnished dining-room and sat down to a flower-decorated table; Mrs. Leslie presiding at the head, while Miss Dundas sat the foot.
To me, a young girl who had been accustomed to dine at one o’clock off a roast, or boiled joint, and a plain pudding; the repast seemed sumptuous, and very long; but I heartily enjoyed the delicate, well-cooked dishes, and I drank a glass of claret which was given to me, but I did not like it; though I did like the glass of sweet port I was given at dessert.
“After dinner, the six young ladies went away, leaving me alone with Mrs. Leslie, who talked to me kindly, saying she hoped I would like living with her: then she asked me if it was a fact that I had no relations? I told her that I did not know of any. I then asked her when I should see her little daughter, to whom I was to be a companion. She laughed heartily, saying that there had been some mistake; as she had no daughter, but only a son, Henry, who was about my age, and who was at school in the country. I wondered how the mistake had arisen, but I did not bother my head about the matter. After a little more talk, she took me back to the small drawing-room, and gave me a book of stories to read; then, telling me that I could go to bed whenever I felt inclined, she went away. I read for a time, then I began to feel sleepy, so I went up to my room, finding the gas lit, the curtains drawn, and everything neatly arranged. I sat down in an easy-chair, feeling quite proud at having such a pretty room all to myself; then, after a short time, I undressed, put out the gas, got into the big, soft bed, and soon fell asleep.
“Next morning, I woke at my usual early hour, and I got up and dressed; then I went downstairs, but there was not a soul to. be seen anywhere about the place, so I amused myself walking through the passages, and looking into the numerous rooms, all of which were beautifully furnished in different styles. In about an hour’s time, the servants came down and began sweeping the rooms and passages, casting curious glances at me, as I roamed about; and at last one of them told me that I had better go back to my room, as breakfast would not be ready until ten o’clock.
“I took the woman’s advice, went back to my room, and lay down upon my bed, feeling very hungry; and I was glad when I heard a bell ring, which I guessed meant breakfast, so I went down to the dining-room, where I found everyone assembled. They bade me good morning, and we sat down at the table, which was spread with an excellent breakfast, to which I did full justice; but I noticed that some of the young ladies looked tired and sleepy, and they did not seem inclined to talk much.
“After breakfast, Mrs. Leslie and Miss Dundas went out in the brougham, and the other ladies and myself went into the little drawing-room, where we amused ourselves in various ways until lunch, which was served at two o’clock. Later on, Mrs. Leslie took me out for a drive in the park; and at half-past seven we all again met at dinner; the ladies being attired in evening dress. And, as on the previous night, they all went away when the meal was over, leaving me by myself; so I took the book I had been reading and went to my room.
“And so the weeks passed. After the first few days, Mrs. Leslie did not take much notice of me, but the young ladies were always kind to me. I had no duties of any sort, and I amused myself by reading or sewing; and as I was allowed to come and go just as I liked, I often went into Kensington Gardens, and I used also to wander about the streets, looking at the shop windows. I thus gained confidence in myself, and never felt the least afraid of going about alone.
“I had very soon noticed that a great number of gentlemen called at the house every day, and frequently some of them remained to dinner; but on those occasions I was not allowed to dine at the table. I also discovered that the gentlemen sometimes stayed ail night; and long after I had gone to bed, I often heard the ladies and gentlemen talking, laughing, and singing in the big drawing-room downstairs.
“I thought it strange, but being young, and perfectly innocent, I did not then understand what it all meant. But now that I am a woman, and have read novels, and books of all sorts, in which descriptions are given of the various queer things that go on in the world, I know what the ladies were, and why the gentlemen came to the house.”
She stopped speaking, and looked up in my face, with a little smile curving her lips; then she said: “I suppose you have already guessed what sort of an establishment it was that Mrs. Leslie kept.”
“Yes, indeed I have, Frances. But go on, I am very much interested,” I replied. She continued. “Well, the time went on, till I had been six months in the house, and though I had a vague idea that things were not quite right, I never saw anything improper, as I was never allowed in the large drawing-room when gentlemen were there. The girls never let me into their secrets, though I knew they used to laugh and joke with each other about what went on in the house; but they always stopped talking if I happened to go into the room where they were.
“I did not then know why they were so careful of what they said before me, but now I feel certain, that the reason of their not speaking openly, was because they respected my innocence. I had always got on well with them, and I think they were all fond of me, with the exception of Miss Dundas, who never seemed to take the least interest in me.
“Mrs. Leslie, I think, took it for granted that I understood the meaning of all that went on, though she never said anything to me on the subject
“However, I was destined soon to know more. For some time past, I had been very much bothered with the attentions of an old gentleman whom I knew as Mr. Wood, and who was a frequent visitor to the house. He was constantly bringing me presents of fruit, and sweets, and he also occasionally gave me a sovereign. I took all his gifts, but I hated him, and always tried to get away from him as soon as possible, though he was perfectly civil,
