that as she had no acquaintances in the village she had no desire to go out, and that whenever her turn came to do so the other might take her place.  As Jane was keeping company with the blacksmith’s son, this concession greatly pleased her; and although at first she had been disappointed that she had not on Martha’s leaving succeeded to her place, the fact that she was but twenty-one, while the newcomer was a good many years her senior, went far to reconcile her to being passed over.

Mrs. Conway had not been twenty-four hours in the house before she discovered there was an obstacle in the way of her search that she had not foreseen.  She had dusted the drawing-room and dining-room, and then went to the door of the room which she supposed to be the library.  She found it locked.  At dinner she asked the other housemaid what the room opposite the dining-room was, and where was the key.

“That was master’s library,” the girl said.  “Miss Penfold always keeps it locked, and no one is allowed to go in.  It’s just as he left it; at least Martha said so, for I have never been inside since.  On the first day of each month it is opened and dusted.  Miss Penfold always used to go in with Martha and stay there while she did the work.  She said it was to see that nothing was moved, but Martha used to think there was another reason.”

“What is that?” Mrs. Conway asked.

Jane shook her head and glanced at the butler, as much as to say she did not care about speaking before him; but presently when she had an opportunity of talking alone with the newcomer she said:  “I didn’t want to say anything before James, he holds with the Miss Penfolds.  He only came a month or two before master’s death and did not know much about him, and he will have it they have been ill treated, and that the lawyer and all of them ought to be punished for going on as if the Miss Penfolds had done something wrong about the will.  Cook, she doesn’t give no opinion; but Martha and me both thought they knew something about it, and were keeping Miss Withers and young Conway out of their rights.  But I forgot that you were a stranger, and didn’t know nothing about the will.”

Then she told Mrs. Conway all about the will being missing, and how Mr. Tallboys, who had made it for Mr. Penfold, said that all the property had been left to Mabel Withers, who was the daughter of the clergyman and a great pet of the master’s, and to a boy who had been staying there some months before, and whose name was Conway.

“Well, Martha and me believed that they,” and she nodded toward the drawing-room, “must know something about it; for Mr. Tallboys would have it that it was stowed away in some secret hiding place, and has been looking for it here and pulling down the wainscotting and all sorts.  And, of course, if there was a secret hiding-place the Miss Penfolds would know of it as well as their brother.  Martha used to think that the reason why the Miss Penfolds had the room shut up, and would never let her go into it without one of them being there to look after her, was that the hiding-place was somewhere in the library, and that they were afraid that when she was dusting and doing up she might come upon the will.”