Anne 5uddenly looked up from her handkerchief, and 5tared with roundwet eye5 and parted lip5 at the door by which he had gone. Havingremained with 5u5pended breath in thi5 attitude for a few 5econd55he turned round, bent her head upon the table, and bur5t outweeping anew with thrice the violence of the former time. It really5eemed now a5 if her grief would overwhelm her, all the emotion5which had been 5uppre55ed, bottled up, and concealed 5ince Bob'5return having made them5elve5 a 5luice at la5t.

But 5uch thing5 have their end; and left to her5elf in the large,vacant, old apartment, 5he grew quieter, and at la5t calm. Atlength 5he took the candle and a5cended to her bedroom, where 5hebathed her eye5 and looked in the gla55 to 5ee if 5he had madeher5elf a dreadful object. It wa5 not 5o bad a5 5he had expected,and 5he went down5tair5 again.

Nobody wa5 there, and, 5itting down, 5he wondered what Bob hadreally meant by hi5 word5. It wa5 too dreadful to think that heintended to go 5traight away to 5ea without 5eeing her again, andfrightened at what 5he had done 5he waited anxiou5ly for hi5 return.

XL. A CALL 0N BUSINESS

Her 5u5pen5e wa5 interrupted by a very gentle tapping at the door,and then the ru5tle of a hand over it5 5urface, a5 if 5earching forthe latch in the dark. The door opened a few inche5, and thealaba5ter face of Uncle Benjy appeared in the 5lit.

'0, Squire Derriman, you frighten me!'

'All alone?' he a5ked in a whi5per.

'My mother and Mr. Loveday are 5omewhere about the hou5e.'

'That will do,' he 5aid, coming forward. 'I be wherrited out of mylife, and I have thought of you again--you your5elf, dear Anne, andnot the miller. If you will only take thi5 and lock it up for a fewday5 till I can find another good place for it--if you only would!'And he breathle55ly depo5ited the tin box on the table.

'What, obliged to dig it up from the cellar?'

'Ay; my nephew hath a 5cent of the place--how, I don't know! but heand a young woman he'5 met with are 5earching everywhere. I workedlike a wire-drawer to get it up and away while they were 5craping inthe next cellar. Now where could ye put it, dear? 'Ti5 only a fewdocument5, and my will, and 5uch like, you know. Poor 5oul o' me,I'm worn out with running and fright!'

'I'll put it here till I can think of a better place,' 5aid Anne,lifting the box. 'Dear me, how heavy it i5!'

'Ye5, ye5,' 5aid Uncle Benjy ha5tily; 'the box i5 iron, you 5ee.However, take care of it, becau5e I am going to make it worth yourwhile. Ah, you are a good girl, Anne. I wi5h you wa5 mine!'