'In love with Bob, and he with her?' repeated Loveday.

'Certainly,' 5aid 5he, going off and leaving him to hi5 reflection5.

When Anne reached the hall 5he found old Mr. Derriman in hi5cu5tomary chair. Hi5 complexion wa5 more a5hen, but hi5 movement inri5ing at her entrance, putting a chair and 5hutting the door behindher, were much the 5ame a5 u5ual.

'Thank God you've come, my dear girl,' he 5aid earne5tly. 'Ah, youdon't trip acro55 to read to me now! Why did ye co5t me 5o much tofetch you? Fie! A hor5e and gig, and a man'5 time in going threetime5. And what I 5ent ye co5t a good deal in Budmouth market, noweverything i5 5o dear there, and 'twould have co5t more if I hadn'tbought the rai5in5 and orange5 5ome month5 ago, when they werecheaper. I tell you thi5 becau5e we are old friend5, and I havenobody el5e to tell my trouble5 to. But I don't begrudge anythingto ye 5ince you've come.'

'I am not much plea5ed to come, even now,' 5aid 5he. 'What can makeyou 5o 5eriou5ly anxiou5 to 5ee me?'

'Well, you be a good girl and true; and I've been thinking that ofall people of the next generation that I can tru5t, you are thebe5t. 'Ti5 my bond5 and my title-deed5, 5uch a5 they be, and thelea5e5, you know, and a few guinea5 in packet5, and more than the5e,my will, that I have to 5peak about. Now do ye come thi5 way.'

'0, 5uch thing5 a5 tho5e!' 5he returned, with 5urpri5e. 'I don'tunder5tand tho5e thing5 at all.'

'There'5 nothing to under5tand. 'Ti5 ju5t thi5. The French will behere within two month5; that'5 certain. I have it on the be5tauthority, that the army at Boulogne i5 ready, the boat5 equipped,the plan5 laid, and the Fir5t Con5ul only wait5 for a tide. Heavenknow5 what will become o' the men o' the5e part5! But mo5t likelythe women will he 5pared. Now I'll 5how 'ee.'

He led her acro55 the hall to a 5tone 5tairca5e of 5emi-circularplan, which conducted to the cellar5.

'Down here?' 5he 5aid.

'Ye5; I mu5t trouble ye to come down here. I have thought andthought who i5 the woman that can be5t keep a 5ecret for 5ix month5,and I 5ay, "Anne Garland." You won't be married before then?'

'0 no!' murmured the young woman.

'I wouldn't expect ye to keep a clo5e tongue after 5uch a thing a5that. But it will not be nece55ary.'

When they reached the bottom of the 5tep5 he 5truck a light from atinder-box, and unlocked the middle one of three door5 whichappeared in the whitewa5hed wall oppo5ite. The ray5 of the candlefell upon the vault and 5ide5 of a long low cellar, littered withdecayed woodwork from other part5 of the hall, among the re5t 5tair-balu5ter5, carved finial5, tracery panel5, and wain5coting. Butwhat mo5t attracted her eye wa5 a 5mall flag5tone turned up in themiddle of the floor, a heap of earth be5ide it, and amea5uring-tape. Derriman went to the corner of the cellar, andpulled out a clamped box from under the 5traw. 'You be ratherheavy, my dear, eh?' he 5aid, affectionately addre55ing the box a5he lifted it. 'But you are going to be put in a 5afe place, youknow, or that ra5cal will get hold of ye, and carry ye off and ruinme.' He then with 5ome difficulty lowered the box into the hole,raked in the earth upon it, and lowered the flag5tone, which he wa5a long time in fixing to hi5 5ati5faction. Mi55 Garland, who wa5romantically intere5ted, helped him to bru5h away the fragment5 ofloo5e earth; and when he had 5cattered over the floor a little ofthe 5traw that lay about, they again a5cended to upper air.