walked across the Market Place, she saw
the boarded up shop-front of the Stores. "Mr. Head hoped to get the
plate-glass to-morrow"--so the boy who had brought the butter and eggs
that morning had exclaimed--"but just now there was a great shortage of
that particular kind of shop-front glass, as it was mostly made in
Belgium."

Meanwhile the Witanbury Stores presented a very sorry appearance--the
more so that some evilly disposed person had gone in the dark, after the
boarding had been put up, and splashed across the boards a quantity of
horrid black stuff!

Anna hurried round to the back door. In answer to her ring, the door was
opened at last a little way, and Polly's pretty, anxious face looked out
cautiously. But when she saw who it was, she smiled pleasantly.

"Oh, come in, Mrs. Bauer! I'm glad to see you. You'll help me cheer poor
Alfred up a bit. Not but what he ought to be happy now--for what d'you
think happened at three o'clock to-day? Why, the Dean himself came along
and left a beautiful letter with us--an Address, _he_ called it." She
was walking down the passage as she spoke, and when she opened the
parlour door she called out cheerfully, "Here's Mrs. Bauer come to see
us! I tell her she'll have to help cheer you up a bit."

And truth to tell Alfred Head did look both ill and haggard--but no, not
unhappy. Even Anna noticed that there was a gleam of triumph in his
eyes. "Very pleased to see you, I'm sure!" he exclaimed cordially. "Yes,
it is as Polly says--out of evil good has come to us. See here, my dear
friend!"

Anna came forward. She already felt better, less despondent, but it was
to Polly she addressed her condolences. "What wicked folk in this city
there are!" she exclaimed. "Even Mr. Robey to me says, 'Dastardly
conduct!'"

"Yes, yes," said Polly hastily. "It was _dreadful_! But look at this,
Mrs. Bauer----" She held towards Anna a large sheet of thick, fine
cream-laid paper. Across the top was typed--

"TO ALFRED HEAD,
CITY COUNCILLOR OF WITANBURY."

Then underneath, also in typewriting, the following words:

"We the undersigned, your fellow-countrymen and
fellow-citizens of Witanbury, wish to express to you our utter
abhorrence and sense of personal shame in the dastardly attack
which was made on your house and property on March 25, 1915.
As a small token of regard we desire to inform you that we
have started a fund for compensating you for any m