a moment or two Alma appeared. She seemed pale
and dejected, and she sat down at once as if weary.

"What is it, father? Any new troubles?"

"Were you with your cousin when he took this photograph?"

She looked at it a moment, and then said wearily:

"Yes. It's the batting mill."

Just here the door opened, and Mr. Belford, hat and travelling bag in
hand, as if just from the station, entered the room. The two men looked
up in undisguised amazement, but Alma cast her eyes upon the floor, and
her face seemed to put on a more ashen hue than ever.

"Ah! excuse me. I did not mean to intrude. I'm just from New York, and I
have been so successful that I hastened to lay the news before you."

"What have you to say, Mr. Belford," said Mr. Denny coldly. "There are
none but friends here, and you need not fear to speak."

Mr. Franklin hastily gathered up the pictures together, and rolling them
up, put them in his pocket, with the mental remark that he "knew of one
who was not a friend--no, not much."

"I have arranged everything," said Mr. Belford, with sublime audacity.
"The note has been taken up. I have even obtained a release of the
mortgage, and here is the cancelled note and the release. To-morrow I
will have it recorded."

"We are in no mood for pleasantry, Mr. Belford. The sheriff was here
to-day, and Abrams is to take possession on Wednesday."

"Oh, I knew that. He did not get my telegram in time, or he would have
saved you all this unnecessary annoyance. And now everything is all
serene, and there is Abrams's release in full."

He took out a carefully folded paper, and gave it to Mr. Denny. He read
it in silence, and then said:

"It seems to be quite correct. We----"

Alma suddenly dropped her head upon her breast, and slid to the floor in
a confused heap. She thought she read in that fatal receipt her death
warrant. Nature rebelled, and mercifully took away her senses.

Elmer sprang to her rescue, but Mr. Belford intruded himself.

"It is my place, Mr. Franklin. She is to be my wife."

* * * * *

The dreary day crept to its end. Alma recovered, and retired to her
room. Mr. Denny, overcome by the excitement of the interview, was quite
ill, and the visitor, oppressed with a sense of partial defeat, took a
long walk through the country. The enemy had made such an extraordinary
movement that for the time he was disconcerted, and he wished to be
alone, that he could think o