ways heard that, in spite of
his sprees, he was the smartest lawyer in Hatboro'; and she believed
that he could protect their rights if any one could. At the same time
she wished justice to be done, though they should suffer, and she came
to Putney, partly because she knew he had always disliked her father,
and she reasoned that such a man would be less likely to advise her
against the right in her interest than a friendlier person.

Putney came to the door himself, as he was apt to do at night, when he
was in the house, and she saw him control his surprise at sight of her.
"Can I see--see--see you a moment," she stammered out, "about some--some
law business?"

"Certainly," said Putney, with grave politeness. "Will you come in?" He
led the way into the parlor, where he was reading when she rang, and
placed a chair for her, and then shut the parlor door, and waited for
her to offer him the papers that rattled in her nervous clutch.

"It's this one that I want to show you first," she said, and she gave
him the writ of attachment. "A man left it this noon, and we don't know
what it means."

"It means," said Putney, "that your father's creditors have brought suit
against his estate, and have attached his property so that you cannot
sell it, or put it out of your hands in any way. If the court declares
him insolvent, then everything belonging to him must go to pay his
debts."

"But what can we do? We can't buy anything to feed the stock, and they
will suffer," cried Adeline.

"I don't think long," said Putney. "Some one will be put in charge of
the place, and then the stock will be taken care of by the creditors."

"And will they turn us out? Can they take our house? It is our
house--mine and my sister's; here are the deeds that my father gave me
long ago; and he said they were recorded." Her voice grew shrill.

Putney took the deeds, and glanced at the recorder's endorsement before
he read them. He seemed to Adeline a long time; and she had many fears
till he handed them back to her. "The land, and the houses, and all the
buildings are yours and your sister's, Miss Northwick, and your father's
creditors can't touch them."

The tears started from Adeline's eyes; she fell weakly back in her chair
and let them run silently down her worn face. After a while Putney said,
gently, "Was this all you wanted to ask me?"

"That is all," Adeline answered, and she began blindly to put her papers
together. He helped her. "How