“Sometime, Gussie, you shall know all about Guy’s city girl, if for no other reason than to make you thoroughly ashamed of yourself; and if you only knew how far from the truth all your surmises are, you would not be so free to talk.  You make yourself ridiculous, if you only knew it!”

The next day, much to Dexie’s delight, Mr. Hackett made his appearance, and easily explained the cause of his delay; and as he wished to have a final examination of all the papers in her father’s desk, he asked Dexie’s assistance, giving as a reason that a certain Mr. Plaisted had put in his claims for a large amount as soon as her father’s death had been published.  After explaining the matter to Dexie, she knew at once where to look for the proof needed to refute such claims, and placing the copy of the letter she had brought home from Prince Edward Island into the hands of the lawyer, she told him all the circumstances connected with it, and the break in the business intercourse with her father in consequence of it.

“Well, that Plaisted is a regular scamp!” said the lawyer.  “I will take this letter with me, and with the knowledge I have now of him and his doings I fancy he will not care to face a judge and jury to enforce his claims, as he so boldly announces his intention.  If I had known of this, or had taken this bundle of papers with me before, it would have saved me much time and annoyance.  However, this time I will leave nothing but what you can claim as your father’s gift, Miss Sherwood.  The desk and its contents are now yours.”

“Now, Miss Sherwood,” said he, later, “I am ready to see your mother and have a talk with her; and if you will bring along the bills, which I daresay are rather heavy, I will see to their settlement.”

“There are no bills to settle, Mr. Hackett—­none, at least, that I know of; everything was paid for as it was ordered.  I must confess we are about penniless, though,” she smilingly said, “and if you had delayed coming for many more days we would have been like Mother Hubbard, with a bare cupboard.”

“Why, you do not mean it, surely!  Well, well!  I never thought of such a possibility!  But, then, I never thought you would try to settle the bills out of the money left for other purposes.  Other things might have waited till I came to look after them myself.”

“It has not hurt us to practise economy, and I did not want people to think that papa did not leave us enough to pay our expenses, so I paid the bills as long as the money held out.  I had a little saved up, and that came in very handy, but I shall be glad to get something on the housekeeping account.  They have all been protesting against the lack of variety on the table, till my sister thinks she is boarding at the poorhouse.”