uld have stood square, and things would have come
right; but there it is all round and never keeping steady, and allus
changing. Why, if you get a fine day you never can count upon another."

"No," sighed Hannah; "but there's a deal of good in the world, after
all."

"Eh? What?" cried old Tummus, jumping up and standing upon the
patchwork hearthrug in his stockings, "wheerabouts?--wheer is it, owd
woman? I'm a-going to look for it 'fore I gets a day owder."

"Sit down, and don't talk such stuff, Tummus," cried the old woman,
giving him a push which sent him back in his chair. "I won't have it."

"Ah! That's it," he said, with a low, chuckling laugh; "it's because
the world's round. If it had been square we should all have stood
solid, and old women wouldn't ha' flown at their mesters and knocked 'em
down."

CHAPTER NINETEEN.

Old Tummus and his wife both declared that they minded what the bailiff
said, and never let a word escape from them about the old man's
suspicions; but rumour is a sad spreader of news, and the result of some
bit of tittle-tattle turns up in places least expected, doing
incalculable harm.

It was not likely that John Grange's disappearance would die out of
ordinary conversation without being pretty well embroidered by people's
imagination, and like the Three Black Crows of the old story, being
added to until the origin looked very trifling and small. But all the
same, it was some time before people's doubts reached Mrs Mostyn's ears
through her housekeeper, and she turned upon her old confidential
servant with a look of horror.

"Oh, my good woman!" she cried, "don't tell me that: it can't be true."

The housekeeper shook her head.

"I hope not, ma'am; but it has grown to be common talk."

"Why, if it really were so, I could never live happily in the old place
again. Go away, and send some one to fetch James Ellis here, directly."

The bailiff came in due course; and as soon as he entered the
drawing-room, where his mistress's face plainly showed that something
was very wrong, she saluted him with--

"What's all this I hear about that poor young man?"

"Well, ma'am, I--"

"Ah, no hesitation, James Ellis. I want the precise facts. Is it true
that he made away with himself?"

"That nobody can say, ma'am," said James Ellis firmly. "There has been
some tattle of that kind."

"And you think that he did?"

"I try not to, ma'am," said the bailiff, "for everybody's sak