in anywise resenting his Christian patroness's curt dismissal.

Left once again to herself, Mrs. Scarsdale sat plunged in thought. Could it be true? The dirty foreign newspaper had been proved to have lied most abominably: why should not the Jew lie also? was it to his interest to lie? And if so, why?

But

"I forgot to ashk," said Mr. Marcus, putting his head in at the door again, "I forgot to ashk if itsh to be Schkarsdale shtill, or the old name?"

"Scarsdale," she said shortly, and with

out looking at him.

Then he went away.

But as he left the house he almost stumbled over a plain country-looking woman who stood in the passage. He watched to see if she would go into Mrs. Scarsdale's modest parlour unannounced. She did so; but the dirty

servant girl coming up from the nethermost regions at that moment, and eyeing him suspiciously, he thought it better to take his departure at once. Shome

other myshterious shecret," he said to himself, "but I don't shupposhe the peashant woman's poaching on my preshervesh," and with these words he departed, to seek "fresh woods and pastures new."

CHAPTER XIV.

"NURSE."

"Is that you, nurse?" asked Mrs. Scarsdale, scarcely turning her head, as the country-woman entered the room. She spoke in in a weary voice. She

would so much rather have been alone just then.

"Yes, ma'am. I thought you would like to know that there was a letter last night. Mr. Frank comes up by the twelve o'clock train to-day."

Mrs. Scarsdale glanced at the clock. "You must take care he does not find you here. Was there anything else in the letter?"

Yes; Mr. Hamilton said that, as

your return was indefinitely postponed,

he wished my mistress to go down and stay with him for a bit."

"Is she going?" asked Mrs. Scarsdale, turning vehemently on her chair.

"I can't rightly say, ma'am. She got the letter late last night; but she spoke of it once or twice whilst I helped her to undress. She said she should like to see that sweet young lady that Mr. Hamilton mentions in his letter."

"But she's away."

"Yes; but he says he wants her back he thinks as her guardian, he didn't ought to let her keep away so long."

"She mustn't go to Berrylands, nurse," said Mrs. Scarsdale, harking back to the question of Mrs. Hamilton's invitation thither.

'I don't know what's to prevent her if she's set her mind on it. Those quiet

people are very obstinate-like when they once take a fancy into their heads. She kept saying, in her simple way, last night, that if it had pleased God to give her a daughter instead of a son she thought she should have been a much happier woman. Then she fell to crying, and said it was cruel to wish for anything instead of' Mr. Frank; that she meant she would have liked a daughter as well."

"Fool!" said Mrs. Scarsdale, contemptuously.

"I don't know about that. She hasn't had much pleasure out of Mr. Frank so far, and I don't suppose she ever will have much."

She was an iron-grey woman, with a keen, shrewd eye, pinched lips, hard features, and a thin, upright figure. Her dress was black, as were her bonnet and