er misfortune? Consider all
that Mr. Blyth's proposal promises for her future life; for the sacred
preservation of her purity of heart and mind. Look forward to the day
when little Mary will have gown up to be a young woman; and I will
answer, Mrs. Peckover, for your doing full justice to the importance of
my friend's offer."

"I know it's all true, sir; I know I'm an ungrateful, selfish
wretch--but only give me a little time to think; a little time longer to
be with the poor darling that I love like my own child!"

Doctor Joyce was just drawing his chair closer to Mrs. Peckover before
he answered, when the door opened, and the respectable Vance softly
entered the room.

"What do you want here?" said the rector, a little irritably. "Didn't I
tell you not to come in again till I rang for you?'

"I beg your pardon, sir," answered Vance, casting rather a malicious
look at the clown's wife as he closed the door behind him--"but there's
a person waiting in the hall, who says he comes on important business,
and must see you directly."

"Who is he? What's his name?"

"He says his name is Jubber, if you please, sir."

Mrs. Peckover started from her chair with a scream. "Don't--pray, for
mercy's sake, sir, don't let him into the garden where Mary is!" she
gasped, clutching Doctor Joyce by the arm in the extremity of her
terror. "He's found us out, and come here in one of his dreadful
passions! He cares for nothing and for nobody, sir: he's bad enough
to ill-treat her even before you. What am I to do? Oh, good gracious
heavens! what am I to do?"

"Leave everything to me, and sit down again," said the rector kindly.
Then, turning to Vance, he added:--"Show Mr. Jubber into the cloak-room,
and say I will be with him directly."

"Now, Mrs. Peckover," continued Doctor Joyce, in the most perfectly
composed manner, "before I see this man (whose business I can guess at)
I have three important questions to ask of you. In the first place,
were you not a witness, last night, of his cruel ill-usage of that poor
child? (Mr. Blyth told me of it.) The fellow actually beat her, did he
not?"

"Oh, indeed he did, sir!--beat her most cruelly with a cane."

"And you saw it all yourself?"

"I did, sir. He'd have used her worse, if I hadn't been by to prevent
him."

"Very well. Now tell me if you or your husband have signed any
agreement--any papers, I mean, giving this man a right to claim the
child as one of his performers?"

_"M