ere dwelt the great man, Governor Wentworth, but no one shared its
comfort with him, for he was a widower and childless, and though no one
ever heard him complain, sometimes he felt his loneliness very keenly.

At this time Martha Hilton, the pretty little gypsy maid was thirteen
years old, and soon after the day when we met her tripping down the main
street of Portsmouth, she went to be a servant at the house of Governor
Wentworth. For seven long years she worked hard and faithfully.

"A maid of all work, whether coarse or fine,
A servant who made service seem divine."

Under her care the mirrors glistened and the brasses shone; the very
knocker on the great front entrance looked brighter whenever she passed
by. And all this time, as Martha grew from childhood into woman-hood,
there was someone who watched, unknown to her, all her doings.

Time passed on, bringing with it the Governor's sixtieth birthday, and
at the great house it was determined to give a banquet in honor of the
occasion. Invitations were sent out to all Governor Wentworth's friends
in the neighborhood, and when the day arrived, a very noble assemblage
sat down to the feast. At the commencement of the banquet the Reverend
Arthur Brown, the rector, who was seated at the host's right hand, said
grace, and then the feast went on merrily. After the guests had finished
eating and the King's health had been drunk, the Governor gave a
whispered message to a man-servant, who disappeared and presently
returned with a beautiful girl, simply and neatly dressed. The guests
scarcely noticed her presence, but the Governor stood up in his place
and, looking down at the rector, said: "This is my birthday; it shall
also be my wedding-day, and you shall marry me."

The guests were greatly mystified, and the reverend gentleman not less
so, but he answered politely: "It would indeed be a pleasant task, your
Excellency, but may I ask to whom I am to marry you?" "To this lady,"
replied the Governor, and beckoned to Martha Hilton to stand by his
side. Blushing and confused the maiden timidly obeyed, but the rector
hesitated and said nothing. Then the Governor cried impatiently: "If you
hesitate to do as I ask you, then, as chief magistrate, I command you."

Seeing that all objections would be useless the rector obeyed, and read
the marriage-service in loud, clear tones. The Governor placed a ring on
the fourth finger of the bride's fair left hand, and Martha Hilt