; but the young
lady gave a gasp of surprise, and stared with widely-opened eyes at the
millionaire. Maw stepped forward, however, and shook her quietly by the
hand,

"I expected to find that it was you," he said. "I have already met your
sister, Mr. McIntyre, on the very first day that I came here. We took
shelter in a shed from a snowstorm, and had quite a pleasant little
chat."

"I had no notion that I was speaking to the owner of the Hall," said
Laura in some confusion. "How funnily things turn out, to be sure!"

"I had often wondered who it was that I spoke to, but it was only
yesterday that I discovered. What a sweet little place you have here! It
must be charming in summer. Why, if it were not for this hill my windows
would look straight across at yours."

"Yes, and we should see all your beautiful plantations," said Laura,
standing beside him in the window. "I was wishing only yesterday that
the hill was not there."

"Really! I shall be happy to have it removed for you if you would like
it."

"Good gracious!" cried Laura. "Why, where would you put it?"

"Oh, they could run it along the line and dump it anywhere. It is not
much of a hill. A few thousand men with proper machinery, and a line
of rails brought right up to them could easily dispose of it in a few
months."

"And the poor vicar's house?" Laura asked, laughing.

"I think that might be got over. We could run him up a facsimile, which
would, perhaps, be more convenient to him. Your brother will tell you
that I am quite an expert at the designing of houses. But, seriously, if
you think it would be an improvement I will see what can be done."

"Not for the world, Mr. Haw. Why, I should be a traitor to the whole
village if I were to encourage such a scheme. The hill is the one thing
which gives Tamfield the slightest individuality. It would be the
height of selfishness to sacrifice it in order to improve the view from
Elmdene."

"It is a little box of a place this, Mr. Haw," said old McIntyre. "I
should think you must feel quite stifled in it after your grand mansion,
of which my son tells me such wonders. But we were not always accustomed
to this sort of thing, Mr. Haw. Humble as I stand here, there was a
time, and not so long ago, when I could write as many figures on a
cheque as any gunmaker in Birmingham. It was--"

"He is a dear discontented old papa," cried Laura, throwing her arm
round him in a caressing manner. He gave a sharp squeak