ey, in his heart detesting the child--the
visible sign that another was nearer to Letty than he.

She jumped up, almost ran into the next room, and, coming back with her
little one, laid him in Godfrey's arms. The moment he felt the weight
of the little, sad-looking, sleeping thing, he grew human toward him,
and saw in him Letty and not Tom.

"Good God! the child is starving, too," he exclaimed.

"Oh, no, Cousin Godfrey!" cried Letty; "he is not starving. He had a
fresh-laid egg for breakfast this morning, and some arrowroot for
dinner, and some bread and milk for tea--"

"London milk!" said Godfrey.

"Well, it is not like the milk in the dairy at Thornwick," admitted
Letty. "If he had milk like that, he would soon be well!"

But Godfrey dared not say, "Bring him to Thornwick": he knew his mother
too well for that!

"When were you anywhere in the country?" he asked. In a negative kind
of way he was still nursing the baby.

"Not since we were married," she answered, sadly. "You see, poor Tom
can't afford it."

Now Godfrey happened to have heard, "from the best authority," that
Tom's mother was far from illiberal to him.

"Mrs. Helmer allows him so much a year--does she not?" he said.

"I know he gets money from her, but it can't be much," she answered.

Godfrey's suspicions against Tom increased every moment. He must learn
the truth. He would have it, if by an even cruel experiment! He sat a
moment silent--then said, with assumed cheerfulness:

"Well, Letty, I suppose, for the sake of old times, you will give me
some dinner?"

Then, indeed, her courage gave way. She turned from him, laid her head
on the end of the sofa, and sobbed so that the room seemed to shake
with the convulsions of her grief. "Letty," said Godfrey, laying his
hand on her head, "it is no use any more trying to hide the truth. I
don't want any dinner; in fact, I dined long ago. But you would not be
open with me, and I was forced to find out for myself: you have not
enough to eat, and you know it. I will not say a word about who is to
blame--for anything I know, it may be no one--I am sure it is not you.
But this must not go on! See, I have brought you a little pocket-book.
I will call again tomorrow, and you will tell me then how you like it."

He laid the pocket-book on the table. There was ten times as much in it
as ever Letty had had at once. But she never knew what was in it. She
rose with instant resolve. All the woman in her wa