her mistress will let you see her."

"I shall," said Stead. "She ought to know of our good fortune."

"He has forgotten that Emlyn is not our sister after all," said
Patience, as she went back to her washing.

"She might as well," said Ben, who could not remember the hut without
Emlyn.

Stead had better luck than Patience foreboded from a household where the
servants were kept very strictly, for there was a good deal of curiosity
in Bristol about the report that a lad from the neighbourhood had won an
Irish heiress and castle, and when Stead presented himself at the
door of the house under the overhanging gable, and begged to see Emlyn
Gaythorn to give her some tidings, the maid who opened it exclaimed, "Is
it anent the castle in Ireland?"

Stead awkwardly said "Aye, mistress." And as it became evident that the
readiest way of learning the facts would be his admission, he was let
into the house into a sort of wainscotted hall, where he found the
mistress herself superintending three or four young sempstresses who
were making shirts for the gentlemen of the garrison. Emlyn was among
them, and sprang up looking as if white seams were not half so congenial
as nutting in the gulley, but she looked prettier than ever, as the
little dark curls burst out of the prim white cap, she sniffed the
flowers with ecstasy, and her eyes danced with delight that did Stead's
heart good to see. He needed it, for to stand there hat in hand before
so many women all staring at him filled him with utter confusion,
so that he could scarcely see, and stumbled along when Mrs. Sloggett
called, "Come here, young man. Is it true that it is your brother who
has won a castle and a countess in Ireland?"

"Not a countess, ma'am," said Stead, gruff with shyness, "but a castle."

Mrs. Sloggett put him through a perfect catechism on Jeph and his
fortunes, which he answered at first almost monosyllabically, though
afterwards he could speak a little more freely, when the questions
did not go quite beyond his knowledge. Finally he succeeded in asking
permission to take Emlyn and show her his brother's letter. Mrs.
Sloggett was gracious to the brother of the lord of a castle, even in
Ireland, and moreover Emlyn was viewed in the light of one of the Kenton
family.

So leave was granted to take Master Kenton (he had never been so called
before) out into the garden of pot-herbs behind the house, and Emlyn
with her dancing step led the way, by a back doo