or a
month. I have not given my own name at the 'George,' but shall be
known there as Mrs. Brown. As you saw, I sent my card in in an
envelope, so that even your clerk should not be aware that Mrs. Conway
was in Weymouth."

"But," the solicitor said suddenly, "surely the Miss Penfolds knew you
in the old time?"

"Certainly, they did. But, to begin with, that is nearly twenty years
ago; and, of course, I have changed very much since then."

"Not very much, Mrs. Conway," the lawyer said; "for I once had the
pleasure of seeing you when I went to the Hall to see Mr. Penfold on
business. I do not say that I should have known you anywhere, but
having had your card I remembered you at once when you came into the
room; and, indeed, if you will excuse my saying so, you might pass
anywhere as thirty."

"So much the better for my purpose at present," Mrs. Conway replied.
"Thirty will do very well for the age of a housemaid at the Hall. I
should imagine the Miss Penfolds would prefer a woman of that age to a
young girl; beside, you see, I must be an upper housemaid in order to
have charge of the part of the house I want to examine. As to knowing
me, in the first place the Miss Penfolds will not have the advantage
of receiving my card, and, in the second place, it is not very
difficult for a woman to alter her appearance so as to be
unrecognizable by another who has not seen her for twenty years. My
hair is a good deal darker now than it was then, and I wore it
altogether differently. A little black dye on that and my eyebrows, a
servant's cap and gown, will so alter me that you who see me now would
hardly know me; certainly they will not do so. You need not trouble
about that, Mr. Tallboys; I will answer for it that they shall not
know me. It is possible, just possible, that Mr. and Mrs. Withers
might know me if they saw me in church; but I shall, without letting
them know my plans, guard against any indiscretion. Now, as we have
quite settled the matter, Mr. Tallboys, I shall go back to the inn,
and when you have thought the matter over and decided upon the best
plan for carrying out my wishes, you will send a note to Mrs. Brown at
the 'George,' making an appointment for me to meet you here."

Mr. Tallboys sat for some time in thought after Mrs. Conway had left
him. It was certainly a daring scheme, requiring no little courage,
resolution, and self-possession to carry out, but his client evidently
possessed all these quali