ed the little boy; "how good it is of God
to send you for me. Oh, don't let the tall, ugly, cruel man take me
away again."

"Not if I can help it, dear child," said his uncle. "There now, jump
up, Georgie," he added; "we shall soon be at home again."

As he was in the act of remounting, having placed the child on the front
of the saddle, he thought he heard a rustling in the hedge behind the
post, and that he saw the glancing of a dark body through the trees
beyond the hedge. However, that mattered not; in a very little time,
having put his pony to a brisk canter, he reached the cottage, and
received a hearty welcome from the nurse, and also from old Harry, whose
presence at the house he was not surprised at, when he remembered that
his brother Walter would no doubt have directed the old man to seek for
him there. But now he began to see that Harry had become acquainted, in
a measure, with his secret; for the nurse called him aside into another
room soon after his return, and told him of the old servant's emotion at
the sight of the little girl, and of his recognising in her the child of
his master's daughter.

Amos was at first considerably disturbed at the old man's having made
this discovery. Then, by degrees, the conviction grew upon him that
this very discovery might be an important step in the direction of
carrying out the work he had set himself to do. Surely it had been
permitted for that end; and here was one who would become a helper to
him in the attainment of his purpose. So, after having pondered over
the matter, as he walked backwards and forwards in the little garden for
some half-hour or more, he called Harry out to him, and took him into
his confidence.

"Harry," he began, "can you keep a secret?"

"Well, Master Amos, that depends upon what sort of a secret it is, and
who tells it me. Some folks give you secrets to keep which everybody
knows, so that they're gone afore you gets 'em. But if _you've_ got a
secret for me to keep, you may depend upon it no one shall get it from
me."

"Just so, Harry. Then I have a secret which I want you to keep for me--
or, perhaps, I had better say that I have something which I should like
to tell you, because I believe you may be able to help me in an
important matter. And instead of binding you to keep my secret, I shall
just leave it to your own good sense to say nothing about the matter
till the right time comes; and I am sure, when you know all, you