, be your interest to accept."

"Why, papa," Mabel said, "I would rather go out and weed turnips or
watch sheep, like some of the girls in the village, than touch a penny
of the Miss Penfolds' money."

A short time after this Mr. Tallboys' clerk brought a letter into his
private office.

"A lady asked me to give you this, sir." The solicitor opened it. It
contained only a card.

"Show the lady in. How are you, madam? I am glad to have the pleasure
of making your acquaintance. I suppose you are staying with Mr.
Withers?"

"No, Mr. Tallboys, I am at the hotel here. I only arrived an hour
since by the packet from Dover."

"Dear me. I am afraid you have had a very unpleasant voyage."

"It has not been pleasant," Mrs. Conway said quietly. "But I preferred
it to the long journey by coach up to London, and down here again. We
were five days on the way, as the vessel put in at so many ports.
Still that was quite a minor question with me. I wanted to see you and
have a talk with you personally. There is no saying into whose hands
letters may fall, and one talk face to face does more good than a
score of letters."

Mr. Tallboys looked rather surprised, and the idea flashed across his
mind that the only business Mrs. Conway could want to see him about
must be some proposal for raising money upon the security of her
annuity.

"I presume, Mr. Tallboys, from what I hear, that you are as thoroughly
convinced as I am myself that this will of Mr. Penfold's is in
existence, and is hidden somewhere about the Hall?"

"Yes, I think so, Mrs. Conway. That is, supposing it has not been
destroyed."

"Do you think it likely that it has been destroyed, Mr. Tallboys?"

"Well, that I cannot say," the solicitor said gravely. "I have, of
course, thought much over this matter. It is one that naturally vexed
me much for several reasons. In the first place, Mr. Withers and you
yourself had been good enough to place the matter in my hands, and to
authorize me to act for you, and it is always a sort of vexation to a
professional man when his clients lose their cause, especially when he
is convinced that they are in the right. In the second place, I am
much disturbed that the wishes of my late client, Mr. Penfold, should
not have been carried out. Thirdly, I feel now that I myself am
somewhat to blame in the matter, in that I did not represent to Mr.
Penfold the imprudence of his placing valuable papers in a place
where, should anything ha