“Now,” triumphantly thought Croft, “it matters not what Keswick decides to do, for I don’t need his assistance.  An elderly angel in a purple sun-bonnet has come to my aid.  She is about to do ever so much more for me than I could expect of him, and I prefer her assistance to that of my rival.  Altogether it is the most unexpected piece of good luck.”

After breakfast there came to Lawrence the opportunity of a private conference with Mrs Null.  He was standing alone on the porch when she came out of the door with her hat on and a basket in her hand, and said she was going to see a very old colored woman who lived in the neighborhood, who was considered a very interesting personage; and perhaps he would like to go there with her.  Nothing could suit Croft better than this, and off they started.

As soon as they were outside the yard gate the lady remarked:  “I have been trying hard to give you a chance to talk to me when the others were not by.  I knew you must be perfectly wild to ask me what this all meant; why I never told you that Mr Keswick was my cousin, and the rest of it.”  “I can’t say,” said Lawrence, “that I am absolutely untamed and ferocious in regard to the matter, but I do really wish very much that you would give me some explanation of your very odd doings.  In fact, that is the only thing that now keeps me here.”

“I thought so,” said Mrs Null.  “As I supposed you had got through with your business with Junius, I did not wish to detain you here any longer than was necessary.”

“Thank you,” said Lawrence.

“You are welcome,” she said.  “And when I saw you standing on the porch by yourself, the idea of being generous to old Aunt Patsy came into my mind.  And here we are.  Now, what do you want to know first?”

“Well,” said Mr Croft, “I would like very much to know how a young lady like you came to be Mr Candy’s cashier.”

“I supposed you would want to know that,” she said.  “It’s a dreadfully long story, and as it is a strictly family matter I had almost made up my mind last night that I ought not to tell it to you at all, but as I don’t know how much you are mixed up with the family, I afterward thought it best, for my own sake, to explain the matter to you.  So I will give you the principal points.  My mother was a sister of Mrs Keswick, and Junius’ mother was another sister.  Both his parents died when he was a boy, and Aunt Keswick brought him up.  My mother died here when I was quite small, and I stayed until I was eight years old.  Aunt Keswick and my father were not very good friends, and when she came to look upon me as entirely her own child, and wished to deprive him of all rights and privileges as a parent, he resented it very much, and, at last, took me away.  I don’t remember exactly how this was done, but I know there was a tremendous quarrel, and my father and aunt never met again.