outright and let her marry the miller."

The lawyer shook his head slowly, with his eyes on Mrs. Gay. "Before all
else we must consider your mother," he answered.

For the first time Kesiah spoke. "I am quite willing to take the girl
when Reuben dies," she said, "but why in the world did he put in that
foolish clause about her living with Jonathan and myself?"

Without looking at her Mr. Chamberlayne answered almost sharply. "The
whole truth of the matter is that there was a still more absurd idea
in his mind, dear lady," he replied. "I may as well let you know it
now since I combated it uselessly in my last interview with him. At the
bottom of his heart Jonathan remained incorrigibly romantic until his
death, and he clung desperately to the hope that if Molly received
the education he intended her to have, her beauty and her charm, which
seemed to him very remarkable, might win his nephew's affections, if
she were thrown in his way. That in short, is the secret meaning of this
extraordinary document."

The uncomfortable silence was broken by a laugh as Gay rose to his feet.
"Well, of all the ridiculous ideas!" he exclaimed in the sincerity of
his amusement.

CHAPTER XVIII

THE SHADE OF REUBEN

Arm in arm Reuben and Molly walked slowly home through the orchard.
Neither spoke until the old man called to Spot at his doorstep, and
then Molly noticed that his breath came with a whistling sound that was
unlike his natural voice.

"Are you tired, grandfather? What is the matter?"

"It's my chest, daughter. Let me sit down a while an' it will pass. Who
is that yonder on the bench?"

"Old Mr. Doolittle. Wait here a minute before you speak to him."

It was a perfect spring afternoon, and the air was filled with vague,
roving scents, as if the earth exhaled the sweetness of hidden flowers.
In the apple orchard the young grass was powdered with gold, and the
long grey shadows of the trees barred the ground like the sketchy
outlines in a impressionist painting.

On a bench at one end of the porch old Adam was sitting, and at sight of
them, he rose, and stood waiting with his pipe in his hand.

"As 'twas sech a fine day an' thar warn't any work on hand for a man of
my years, I thought I'd walk over an' pay my respects to you," he said.
"I've heard that 'twas yo' granddaughter's birthday an' that she's like
to change her name befo' it's time for another."

"Well, I'm glad to see you, old Adam," replied Reube