cious, valuable gold, which is to keep Harold with
me! I will write to you when we come back from Torquay; do not come
to see me before, it would not be safe for you.

Ever, my dear friend, because of you, the happiest and most
grateful mother on God's earth,

CHARLOTTE HOME.

Charlotte Harman's face was very white when, after reading this letter,
she raised her eyes to Hinton's. What had been written with all joy and
thankfulness was received with pain. Why had Hinton kept this thing from
her? Why had he not told her where he had been staying?

"You kept a secret from me," she said, and her eyes filled with heavy
tears.

Then as he tried to comfort her, being very compunctious himself at
having failed utterly to trust one so brave and noble, she suddenly drew
herself from his embrace.

"John," she said, with some pride in her voice, "did you in any degree
keep this thing from me because you believed Mrs. Home's story about my
grandfather's will?"

"I had a thousand nameless reasons for not telling you, Charlotte. My
principal one after the child got ill was my fear that you would come to
the house, and so run the risk of infection."

"Then you do not at all believe Mrs. Home's story?"

"I have not investigated it, my darling. I have done nothing but simply
listen to what you yourself told me. _You_ do not believe it?"

"Certainly not! How could I? It implicates my father."

"We will not think of it, Charlotte."

"We must think of it, for justice must be done to this woman and to her
children; and besides, I wish to clear it up, for I will not have my
father blamed."

Hinton was silent. Charlotte gazed at him eagerly, his silence
dissatisfied her. His whole manner carried the conviction that his faith
in her father was by no means equal to hers.

"Is it possible to see wills?" she asked suddenly.

"Certainly, dear; anybody can see any will by paying a shilling, at
Somerset House."

"Would my grandfather's will be kept at Somerset House?"

"Yes. All wills are kept there."

"Then," said Charlotte, rising as she spoke, "before our wedding-day I
will go to Somerset House and read my grandfather's will."

CHAPTER XXV.

THEY RECALL TOO MUCH.

Mr. Harman had a hard task before him. He was keeping two things at bay,
two great and terrible things, Death and Thought. They were pursuing
him, they were racing madly after him, and sometimes the second of these
his enemies