tradesman, and
partly from shares in a gas company at Exeter. Now the gas company at
Exeter was the better investment of the two, and was considered to be
subject to less uncertainty than the cottages. The lease under which
the cottages had been let was out, and Mrs. Ray had been advised to
sell the property. Building ground near the town was rising in value;
and she had been advised by Mr. Goodall to part with her little
estate. Both Mrs. Ray and Rachel were aware that this business, to
them very important, was imminent; and now had come a letter from Mr.
Goodall, saying that Mrs. Ray must go to Exeter to conclude the sale.
"We should only bungle matters," Mr. Goodall had said, "if I were to
send the deeds down to you; and as it is absolutely necessary that
you should understand all about it, I think you had better come up on
Tuesday; you can get back to Baslehurst easily on the same day."

"My dear," said Mrs. Ray, coming into the parlour, "I must go to
Exeter."

"To-day, mamma?"

"No, not to-day, but on Tuesday. Mr. Goodall says I must understand
all about the sale. It is a dreadful trouble."

But, dreadful as the trouble was, it seemed that Mrs. Ray was not
made unhappy by the prospect of the little expedition. She fussed
and fretted as ladies do on such occasions, but--as is also common
with ladies,--the excitement of the journey was, upon the whole, a
gratification to her. She asked Rachel to accompany her, and at first
pressed her to do so strongly; but such work at the present moment
was not in accord with Rachel's mood, and at last she escaped from it
under the plea of expense.

"I think it would be foolish, mamma," she said. "Now that Dolly has
gone you will be run very close; and when Mr. Goodall first spoke
of selling the cottages, he said that perhaps you might be without
anything from them for a quarter."

"But he has sold them now, my dear; and there will be the money at
once."

"I don't see why you should throw away ten and sixpence, mamma," said
Rachel.

And as she spoke in that resolved and masterful tone, her mother, of
course, gave up the point. So when the Tuesday morning came, she went
with her mother only as far as the station.

"Don't mind meeting me, because I can't be sure about the train,"
said Mrs. Ray. "But I shall be back to-night, certainly."

"And I'll wait tea for you," said Rachel. Then, when her mother was
gone, she walked back to the cottage by herself.

She walked bac