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mantelpiece. Time had certainly flown.
    "I had no idea it was almost five!" she exclaimed. "Perhaps Mr. Abercrombie won't want to wait till I get to the office. I can call in in the morning or—or phone for your decision."
    Mrs. Abercrombie rose to escort her to the door.
    "I'm going to phone Jason now," she said. "He'll have my decision before you reach the office. I'll tell him to wait till you arrive."
    Elizabeth went down in the lift with her heart full of hope for the future. The job was hers. She felt sure of it because there had been so much kindness in Mrs. Abercrombie's eyes as they had parted and a promise in the way she had spoken about her Scottish home. 'One day you must see it and judge for yourself...'
    Her heartbeats quickened as she reached the street. Surely nothing could happen now to defeat her purpose, to cancel out the dreams she had lived with for years. Surely this was the chance she had prayed for, the lucky break which would take her to Scotland far sooner than she had thought possible and in the most congenial of company into the bargain. Even after only two hours in Adele Abercrombie's company she knew that they would get along well together, that they would travel to the other side of the world in each other's company in mutual admiration and respect.
    I can hardly wait, she thought. I can hardly wait to go.
     

CHAPTER TWO
    CLIMBING the wide staircase to the Abercrombie office, she passed the staff coming down.
    "Mr. Abercrombie?" she asked anxiously. "Mr. Jason Abercrombie?"
    A tall girl in a grey coat paused on the stair beside her.
    "They're both up, there," she said. "Mr. Jason and Mr. Charles."
    "Mr. Charles?" Elizabeth repeated blankly, the smile fading from her lips.
    "He came in half an hour ago." The girl gave her an odd look. "You were here this morning, weren't you? One of the applicants for the post?"
    Elizabeth nodded, sharply reminded of her competitors for the first time since her meeting with Adele Abercrombie. Of course, there must be others, all eager and willing to go off to Europe with a wealthy old lady as her secretary-companion. Others better qualified than she was,, no doubt.
    The girl went on down the staircase to join her companions, casting a final, doubtful glance over her shoulder as she reached the street door. Elizabeth stood hesitating for a moment, half inclined to make her escape because the mere mention of Charles Abercrombie's name had unnerved her for a reason she could not understand, and then, with set lips and her head held unconsciously high, she climbed the remaining flight of stairs and knocked on the door of the outer office.
    There was no response from within. After a moment she pushed the door open to find the long outer office deserted, the typists' desks tidied and the covers on their machines. Behind the opaque glass screen at the far end of the room she could hear voices, two people in heated conversation over some issue or other. She approached the glass door, which stood slightly ajar.
    "The whole thing is ridiculous." The strong male voice had an edge of authority about it which was unmistakable. "The girl appears to me to be completely unsuitable. She's far too young, for a start, and she has absolutely no experience for the job. The other woman —Mason, I think her name was—would be a better choice."
    "She's as old as the hills and twice as hard. I didn't even send her to Rose Bay. Grand'mere would have had a fit!"
    With a sense of shock Elizabeth recognised Jason Abercrombie's amused voice. Both men were keeping their tempers, but she knew that they were in earnest Jason was defending her.
    "You haven't even met Miss Drummond," he continued. "You're condemning her on age only."
    "And her lack of experience." The deep masculine voice was coldly incisive. "According to her letter she's never been out of the country before. It's a logical conclusion that she wants a free trip to Europe, which is no recommendation as far as I can see. I'll