o see the lawyer that night.

Something might happen to him again, with those malicious boys still at
large, and it would be wiser she thought, to wait until morning, when
the two of them could take the money to Darius Quarles and satisfy the
mortgage.

Besides, Nancy thought she would like to see what the money-lender
looked like when finding his plans frustrated so neatly.

"Thank goodness that relative of his will have to wait some time before
this house falls into his clutches," she remarked, for the fourth time,
since it was impossible, just then, to talk about anything else.

So when another day dawned, while the weather was still heavy they
walked to the village and astonished the lawyer by appearing in his
office soon after his arrival.

Supposing that Nancy had come to beg for more time, he set his face in
its hardest lines, even though pretending to be sympathetic--times were
out of joint, collections difficult to make, and he absolutely needed
every cent he could scrape together in order to meet his
obligations--that was the way he put it, when she announced she had come
in relation to the mortgage.

"Then I suppose you will be glad to receive this money, Darius, and
return the mortgage canceled to me. And you can be sure that Abner will
never trouble you in the same way again," she said, thrusting the full
sum, with interest toward him.

He slowly counted it, and found that every cent, as he had written it
down for Darry, was there.

"Ahem! this is an unexpected pleasure, Nancy. I congratulate you, indeed
I do, on your success in finding someone to take over the mortgage," he
stammered, as his face turned from red to white, and his little eyes
glittered.

"You are mistaken. There will be no mortgage on my home after this. The
money has been earned by this brave boy here, not borrowed," she said,
coldly.

This caused him to look at Darry, and his mouth told that he was
gritting his teeth wrathfully.

"Ah! yes, indeed, truly a remarkable boy. What has he been doing
now--taking the rats of the swamp by wholesale, I presume? Let me see,
only yesterday he had sold twenty-six skins for fourteen dollars, and
now a hundred dollar bill follows. It is amazing. Pardon me if I doubt
my eyes. I suppose the bill is a good one?"

"We will wait here until you go and find out. You might ask Mr. Paul
Singleton, who has a little launch down at the docks, and is a member of
the club above," replied Mrs. Peake, w