me was Conway.

"Well, Martha and me believed that they," and she nodded toward the
drawing-room, "must know something about it; for Mr. Tallboys would
have it that it was stowed away in some secret hiding place, and has
been looking for it here and pulling down the wainscotting and all
sorts. And, of course, if there was a secret hiding-place the Miss
Penfolds would know of it as well as their brother. Martha used to
think that the reason why the Miss Penfolds had the room shut up, and
would never let her go into it without one of them being there to look
after her, was that the hiding-place was somewhere in the library, and
that they were afraid that when she was dusting and doing up she might
come upon the will."

The same conclusion had flashed across Mrs. Conway's mind as soon as
she heard that the room was kept locked.

"If the will is really hidden away," she said, "it's likely enough to
be as you say; but I shouldn't think two ladies would do such a thing
as that."

"Oh, you don't know them," Jane said sharply. "They are two regular
old cats they are, and hunt one about all over the house as if they
thought one was going to steal something. They was fond of their
brother in their way, but, bless you, they treated him like a child,
and he das'ent call his soul his own; and you may be sure they didn't
like the thought that he had left his money away from them, and that
some one else would become master and missis of the Hall while they
were living. Martha and me was both of one mind that the old women
were likely enough to do it if they had a chance. I would give a good
deal if I could find the will myself just to see their faces;
interfering old things. It was only two Sundays ago they told me after
I came out of church that they didn't approve of the ribbons in my
bonnet; just as if a girl was to go about as if she was a convict."

"But you say there were men searching here, Jane. How was it they
didn't find it if it's in the library, and how was it the Miss
Penfolds allowed them to search?"

"They couldn't help it," Jane replied. "There was an order from the
court in London, or a judge or some one, and they couldn't stop it.
They went away when the men came and didn't come back till it was all
over. I don't know how it was that they didn't find it in the library,
for they searched it regular. I was in there two or three times while
they were at work, and they took out all the books from the shelves
and