"Ef Mahs' Junius come, does you want me to tell him de same thing?"

"But you said he was not in the buggy," said her mistress.

"No'm," answered Peggy, "but p'raps he done cut acrost de plough fiel',
an' git h'yar fus'."

"If he comes first," said Miss Roberta, a shade of severity pervading
her handsome features, "I want to see him." And with this, she went
up-stairs.

Peggy, with her shoes on, possessed the stolid steadiness of a wooden
grenadier, for the heaviness of the massive boots seemed to permeate her
whole being, and communicated what might be considered a slow and heavy
footfall to her intellect. Peggy, without shoes, was a panther on two
legs, and her mind, like her body, was capable of enormous leaps.
Slipping off her heavy brogans, she made a single bound, and stood upon
the railing of the porch, and, throwing her arm around a post, gazed
forth from this point of vantage.

"Bress my eberlastin' soul!" she exclaimed, "if Mister Crof ain't got
ter de road gate, and is a waitin' dar fur somebody to come open it!
Does he think anybody gwine to see him all de way from de house, and
come open de gate? Reckin' he don' know dat ole mud-color hoss. He
mought git out and let down de whole fence, an' dat ole hoss ud nebber
move. Bress my soul moh' p'intedly! ef Mahs' Junius ain't comin' 'long
ter open de gate!"

For a few moments Peggy stood and stared, her mind not capable of
grasping this astounding situation. "No, he ain't nudder!" she presently
exclaimed with an air of relief. "Mahs' Junius done tole him dat ef he
want dat gate open he better git down and open it hese'f. Dat's right
Mahs' Junius! Stick up to dat! Dar go Mahs' Junius into de woods an'
Mister Crof' he git out, an' go after him. Dey's gwine to fight, sartin,
shuh! Lordee! wot fur dey 'low dem bushes ter grow 'long de fence to
keep folks from seein' wot's gwine on!"

There was nothing now to be seen from the railing, and Peggy jumped down
on the porch. Her activity seemed to pervade her being. She ran down the
front steps, crossed the lawn, and mounted the stile. Here she could
catch sight of the two men who seemed to be disputing. This was too much
for Peggy. If there was to be a fight she wanted to see it; and, apart
from her curiosity, she had a loyal interest in the event. Down the
steps, and along the road she went at the top of her speed, and soon
reached the gate. Her arrival was not noticed by any one except the
mud-colored horse, who gazed at her inquiringly; and looking through the
bars, without opening the gate, Peggy had a good view of the gentlemen.

The situation was a more simple one than Peggy had imagined. The road,
for the last half mile, had been an up-hill one, and Keswick, as much to
stretch his own legs as to save those of the horse, had alighted to
walk, while Lawrence, as in duty bound, had waited for him at the gate.
Here a little argument had arisen. Keswick, who did not wish to be at the
house, or indeed about the place while Roberta was having her conference
with Mr Croft, had said that he had concluded not to go up to the house at
present, but would take a walk through the woods instead. Lawrence, who
thought he divined his reason, felt an honorable indisposition to accept
this advantage at the hands of a man who was, most indisputably, his
rival. If they went together it would not appear as if he had waited for
Keswick's absence to return; and there would still be no reason why he
should not have his private walk and talk with Miss March.

At all events, it seemed to him unfair to leave Keswick at the gate
while he went up to the house by himself, and the notion of it did not
please him at all. Keswick, however, was very resolute in his
opposition. He objected even to seeing Roberta and Croft together. He
thought, besides, if he and Croft came to the house at the same time it
would appear very much as if he, Junius, had brought the other, and this
was an appearance he wished very much to avoid. He had walked away, and
Lawrence had jumped from the buggy to continue the friendly argument
which was not finished when Peggy arrived. Almost immediately after this
event Keswick positively insisted that he would go for a walk, and
Lawrence reluctantly turned toward the vehicle.

Peggy's mind was filled with horror. Master Junius had been frightened
away, and the other man was coming up to the house! She could not stand
there and allow such a catastrophe. Jerking open the gate, she rushed
into the road and confronted Keswick.

"Mahs' Junius," she exclaimed, "Miss Rob's orful sick wid her back an'
her j'ints, an' she say she can't see no kump'ny folks, an' Mahs' Robert
he done gone away to see ole Miss Keswick. I jes run down h'yar to tell
you to hurry up."

Keswick started. "Where did you say your Master Robert had gone?"

"To ole Miss Keswick's. He went dis mawnin'."

Junius turned slightly pale, and addressing Mr Croft, said: "Something
very strange must have happened here! Miss March is ill, and Mr Brandon
has gone to a place to which I think nothing but a matter of the utmost
importance could take him."

"In that case," said Mr Croft, "it will be highly improper for me to go
to the house just now. I am very glad that I heard the news before I got
there. I will return to the Springs, and will call to-morrow and inquire
after Miss March's health. Do not let me detain you as your presence is
evidently much needed at the house."

"Thank you," said Keswick, hurriedly shaking hands with him. "I am
afraid something very unexpected has happened, and so beg you will
excuse me. Good-morning." And passing through the gateway, he rapidly
strode toward the house, while Lawrence prepared to turn his horse's
head toward the Springs.

But, although Junius Keswick walked rapidly, Peggy, who had started
first for the house, kept well in advance of him. Away she went,
skipping, running, dancing. Once she stopped and turned, and saw that
the buggy, with the mud-colored horse, was being driven away, and that
Master Junius was coming along the road to the house. Then she started
off, and ran steadily, the rapid show of the light-colored soles of her
feet behind her suggestive of a steamer's wake. Up the broad stile she
went, two steps at a time, and down the other side in a couple of jumps;
a dozen skips took her across the lawn; and she bounded up to the porch
as if each wooden step had been a springing board. She rushed up-stairs,
and stood at the open door of Miss Roberta's room where that lady
reclined upon a lounge.

"Hi', Miss Rob!" she exclaimed, involuntarily snapping her fingers as
she spoke. "Mahs' Junius comin', all by hese'f, an' I done sent de udder
gemman clean off, kitin'!"




CHAPTER X.


Junius Keswick was received by Miss Roberta in the parlor. Her face was
colder and sterner than he had ever seen it before, and his countenance
was very much troubled. Each wished to speak first, and ask questions,
but the lady went immediately to the front.

"How did it happen that you and Mr Croft were coming here together?
Where had you been?"

"We came from the Green Sulphur Springs, where I called on him this
morning."

"I thought he was obliged to return immediately to the North. What made
him change his mind?"

"Perhaps it will be better not to discuss that now," said Junius.

"I wish to discuss it," was the reply. "What induced him not to go?"

"I did," answered Junius, looking steadfastly at her. "Did you not wish
to see him?"

For a moment Miss Roberta did not answer, but her face grew pale, and
she threw herself back in the chair in which she was sitting. "Never in
my life," she said, "have I been subjected to such mortification! Of
course I wished him to come, but to come of his own accord, and not at
my bidding. How do you suppose I would have felt if he had presented
himself, and asked me what I wished to say to him? It is an insult you
have offered me."

"It is not an insult," said Keswick quietly. "It was a service of--of
affection. I saw that you were annoyed and troubled by Mr Croft's
failure to keep his engagement, and what I did was simply--"

"Stop!" said Roberta peremptorily. "I do not wish to talk of it any
more."

Junius stood before her a moment in silence, and then he said: "Will you
tell me if my Aunt Keswick is ill or dead, and why did Mr Brandon go
there?"

"She is neither;" answered Roberta, "and he went there on business." And
with this she arose and left the room.

Peggy, who had been in the hall, now made a bolt down the back stairs
into the basement regions, where was situated the kitchen. In this
spacious apartment she found Aunt Judy, the cook, sitting before a large
wood fire, and holding in her hand a long iron ladle. There was nothing
near her which she could dip or stir with a ladle, and it was probably
retained during her period of leisure as a symbol of her position and
authority.

Peggy squatted on her heels, close to Aunt Judy's side, and thus
addressed her: "Aun' Judy, ef I tell you sumfin', soul an' honor, hope
o' glory, you'll neber tell?"

"Hope o' glory, neber!" said Aunt Judy, turning a look of interest on
the girl.

"Well, den, look h'yar. You know Miss Rob she got two beaux; one is
Mahs' Junius, an' de udder is de gemman wid de speckle trousers from de
Norf."

"Yes, I know dat," said Aunt Judy. "Has dey fit?"

"Not yit, but dey wos gwine to," said Peggy, "but I seed 'em, an' I tore
down de road to de gate whar dey wos gittin ready to fight, an' I jes'
let dat dar Mister Crof' know wot low-down white trash Miss Rob think he
wos, an' den he said ef dat war so 'twant no use fur to come in, an' he
turn' roun' de buggy, an' cl'ar'd out. Den Mahs' Junius he come to de
house, an' dar Miss Rob in de parlor waitin' fur him. I stood jes'
outside de doh', so's to be out de way, but Mahs' Junius he kinder back
agin de doh', an' shet it. But I clap'd my year ter de crack, an' I hear
eberything dey said."

"Wot dey say?" asked Aunt Judy, her mouth open, her eyes dilated, and
the long ladle trembling in her hand.

"Mahs' Junius he say to Miss Rob that he lub her better'n his own skin,
or de clouds in de sky, or de flowers in de fiel' wot perish, an' dat de
udder man he done cut an' run, an' would she be Miss Junius all de res'
ob der libes foreber an' eber, amen?"

"Dat wos pow'ful movin'!" ejaculated Aunt Judy. "An' wot did Miss Rob
say?"

"Miss Rob she say, 'I 'cept your kind offer, sah, wid pleasure.' An' den
I hearn 'em comin', an' I cut down h'yar."

"Glory! Hallelujah!" exclaimed Aunt Judy, bringing her ladle down upon
the brick hearth. "Now is I ready to die when my time comes, fur Mahs'
Junius 'll have dis farm, an' de house, an' de cabins, an' dey won't
go to no strahnger from de Norf."

"Amen," said Peggy. "An' Aun' Judy, dat ar piece ob pie ain't no 'count
to nobuddy."

"You kin hab it, chile," said Aunt Judy, rising, and taking from a shelf
a large piece of cold apple pie, "an' bressed be de foots ob dem wot
fotch good tidin's."

Junius Keswick did not see Miss Roberta again that day, and early in the
morning he borrowed one of the Midbranch horses, and rode away. He did
not wish to be at the house when Mr Croft should come; and, besides, he
was very anxious and disturbed in regard to matters at the Keswick farm.
Of all places in the world why should Mr Brandon go there?

It was not a very pleasant ride that Junius Keswick took that morning.
He had anxieties in regard to what he would meet with at his aunt's
house, and he had even greater anxieties as to what he was leaving
behind him at Midbranch. It was quite evident that Roberta was angry
with him, and this was enough to sadden the soul of a man who loved her
as he loved her, who would have married her at any moment, in spite of
all opposition, all threats, all curses. He was not in the habit of
looking at himself after the manner of Lawrence Croft, but on this
occasion he could not help a little self-survey.

Was it a purely disinterested motive he asked himself, that took him
over to the Springs to bring back Lawrence Croft? Did he not believe in
his soul that Roberta would never have spoken so freely to him in regard
to what the gentleman from the North would probably say to her if she
had not intended to decline that gentleman's offer? And was there not a
wish in his heart that this matter might be definitely and
satisfactorily settled before Roberta and Mr Croft went to New York for
the winter? He could not deny that this issue to the affair had been in
his mind; and yet he felt that he could conscientiously assure himself
that if he had thought things would turn out otherwise, he still would
have endeavored to make the man perform the duty expected of him by
Roberta, in whose service Junius always felt himself to be. But,
apparently, he had not benefited himself or anybody else, except,
perhaps, Croft, by this service which he had performed.

It was late in the forenoon when Junius met Mr Brandon returning to
Midbranch. In answer to his expressions of surprise, Mr Brandon, who
appeared in an exceptionally good humor, informed Junius of his reasons
for the visit to the widow Keswick, and what he had found when he
arrived there.

"Your little cousin," said he, "is a most charming young creature, and
on interested motives I should oppose your going to your aunt's house,
were it not for the fact that she is married, and, therefore, of no
danger to you. I was very glad to find her there. Her influence over
your aunt will, I think, be highly advantageous, and the first fruit of
it is that the old lady will now welcome you with open arms. Would you
believe it! she has already announced that she wishes to make a match
between you and this little cousin; and in order to do so, has actually
engaged me to endeavor to bring about a divorce between the young lady
and her absent husband. The widow Keswick has as many cranks and
crotchets in her head as there are seeds in a tobacco pod; but this is
the queerest and the wildest of them all. The couple seem very much
attached to each other, and nothing can be said against the husband
except that he did not accompany his wife on her visit to her relatives;
and if he knew anything about the old lady I don't blame him a bit. Now
your course, my dear boy, is perfectly plain. Let your aunt talk as much
as she pleases about this divorce, and your union with the little Annie.
It won't hurt anybody, and she must talk herself out in time. In the
mean time take advantage of the present circumstances to mollify and
tone down, so to speak, the good old lady. Make her understand that we
are all her friends, and that there is no one in the connection who
would wish to do her the slightest harm. This would be our Christian
duty at any time, but it is more particularly our duty now. I would like
you to bring your cousin over to see us before Roberta goes away. I
invited her to come, and told her that my niece would first call upon
her were it not for the peculiar circumstances. But if the families can
be in a measure brought together--and I shall make it a point to ride
over there occasionally--if your aunt can be made to understand the
kindly feelings we really have toward her, and can be induced to set
aside, even in a slight degree, the violent prejudice she now holds
against us, all may yet turn out well. Now go, my boy, and may the best
of success go with you. Don't trouble yourself about sending back the
horse. Keep him as long as you want him."

Mr Brandon rode on, leaving Junius to pursue his way. "It is very
pleasant," thought the young man, who had said scarcely a word during
the interview, "to hear Mr Brandon talk about all turning out well, but
when he gets home he may discover that there is something to be done at
Midbranch as well as on the Keswick place."

Mr Brandon's reflections were very different from those of Junius. It
appeared to him that a reconciliation between the two families, even
though it should be a partial one, was reasonably to be expected. That
newly arrived cousin was an angel. She was bound to do good. A marriage
between his niece and Junius Keswick was the great object of the old
gentleman's heart, and he longed to see the former engagement between
them re-established before Roberta went to New York, where her beauty
and attractiveness would expose his cherished plan to many dangers.

The road he was on led directly north, and it was joined about a
quarter of a mile above by the road which ran through the woods to the
Green Sulphur Springs. On this road, at a point nearly opposite to him,
he could see, through the foliage, a horseman riding toward the point of
junction. Something about this person attracted his attention, and Mr
Brandon took out a pair of eye-glasses and put them on. As soon as he
had obtained another good view of the horseman he recognized him as Mr
Croft. The old gentleman took off his glasses and returned them to his
vest pocket, and his face began to flush. In his early acquaintance with
Mr Croft he had not objected to him, because he wished his niece to have
company, and he had a firm belief in the enduring quality of her
affection for Junius. But, latterly, his ideas in regard to the New York
gentleman had changed. He had thought him somewhat too assiduous, and
when he had unexpectedly returned from the North, Mr Brandon had not
been at all pleased, although he had been careful not to show his
displeasure. This condition of things made him feel uneasy, and had
prompted his visit to the widow Keswick. And now that everything looked
so fair and promising, here was that man, whom he had supposed to have
left this part of the country, riding toward his house.

Mr Brandon was an easy-going man, but he had a backbone which could be
greatly stiffened on occasion. He sat up very straight on his horse, and
urged the animal to a better pace, so that he arrived first at the point
where the roads met. Here he awaited Mr Croft, who soon rode up. The
old gentleman's greeting was very courteous.

"You are on the way to my house, I presume," he said.

Mr Croft assured him that he was, and hoped that Miss March was quite
well.

"I have been from home for a little while," said Mr Brandon, "but I
believe my niece enjoys her usual health. I have had a long ride this
morning," he continued, "and feel a little tired. Would it inconvenience
you, sir, if we should dismount and sit for a time on yonder log by the
roadside? It would rest me, and I would like to have a little talk with
you."

Lawrence wondered very much that the old gentleman should want to rest
when he was not a mile from his own house, but of course he consented to
the proposed plan, and imitated Mr Brandon by riding under a large tree,
and fastening his bridle to a low-hanging bough. The two gentlemen
seated themselves on the log, and Mr Brandon, without preface, began his
remarks.

"May I be pardoned for supposing, sir," he said, "that your present
visit to my house is intended for my niece?"

Lawrence looked at him a little earnestly, and replied that it was so
intended.

"Then, sir, I think I have the right to ask, as my niece's present
guardian, and almost indeed as her father, whether or not your visit is
connected in any way with matrimonial overtures toward that lady?"

Not wishing to foolishly and dishonorably deny that such was his purpose
in going to Midbranch; and feeling that it would be as unwise to decline
answering the question as it would be unmanly to resort to subterfuge
about it, Lawrence replied, that his object in visiting Miss March that
day was to make matrimonial overtures to her.

"I think," said Mr Brandon, "that you will be obliged to me if I make
you acquainted with the present condition of affairs between Miss March
and Mr Junius Keswick."

"Has not their engagement been broken off?" interrupted Lawrence.

"Only conditionally," answered the old gentleman. "They love each other.
They wish to be married. With one exception, all their relatives desire
that they should marry. It would be a union, not only congenial in the
highest degree to the parties concerned, but of the greatest advantage
to our family and our family fortunes. There is but a single obstacle to
this most desirable union, and that is the unwarrantable opposition of
one person. But, I am happy to say that this opposition is on the point
of being removed. I consider it to be but a matter of days when my niece
and Mr Keswick, with the full approbation of the relatives on either
side, will renew in the eyes of the world that engagement which I
consider still exists in fact."

"If this is so," said Lawrence, grinding his heel very deeply into the
ground, "why was I not told of it?"

"My dear sir!" exclaimed Mr Brandon, "have you ever intimated to me or
to any of my family, that your intentions in visiting Midbranch were
other than those of an ordinary friend or acquaintance?"

Lawrence admitted that he had never made any such intimation.

"Then, sir," said Mr Brandon, "what reason could we have for mentioning
this subject to you--a subject that would not have been referred to now,
had it not been for your admission of your intended object in visiting
my house?"

Lawrence had no answer to make to this, but it was not easy to turn him
from his purpose. "Excuse me, sir," he said, "but I think a matter of
this sort should be left to the lady. If she is not inclined to receive
my addresses she will say so, and there is an end of it."

The face of Mr Brandon slightly reddened, but his voice remained as
quiet and courteous as before. "You do not comprehend, sir, the state of
affairs, or you would see that a procedure of that kind would be
extremely ill-judged at this time. Were it known that at this critical
moment Miss March was addressed by another suitor, it would seriously
jeopardize the success of plans which we all have very much at heart."

Lawrence did not immediately reply to this crafty speech. His teeth were
very firmly set, and he looked steadfastly before him. "I do not
understand all this," he said, presently, "nor do I see that there is
any need for my understanding it. In fact I have nothing to do with it.
I wish to propose marriage to Miss March. If she declines my offer there
is an end of the matter. If she accepts me, then it is quite proper that
all your plans should fall to the ground. She is the principal in the
affair, and it is due to her and due to me that she should make the
decision in this case."

Mr Brandon had not quite so many teeth as his younger companion, but the
very fair number which remained with him were set together quite as
firmly as those of Lawrence had been. He remarked, speaking very
distinctly but without any show of emotion: "I see, sir, that it is
quite impossible for us to think alike on this subject, and there is,
therefore, nothing left for me to do but to ask you--and I assure you,
sir, that the request is as destitute of any intention of discourtesy as
if it were based upon the presence of sickness or family
affliction--that you will not visit my house at present."

Lawrence rose to his feet with a good deal of color in his face. "That
settles the matter for the present," he said. "Of course I shall not go
to a house which is forbidden to me. I wish you good-morning, sir." And
he stalked to his horse, and endeavored to pull down the limb to which
its bridle was attached.

Mr Brandon followed him. "You must mount before you can unfasten your
bridle," he said. "And allow me to assure you, sir, that as soon as this
little affair is settled I shall be very happy indeed to see you again
at my house."


Lawrence having succeeded in loosening his bridle from the tree, made
answer with a bow, and galloped away to the Green Sulphur Springs.

Mr Brandon now mounted and rode home. This was the first time in his
life that he had ever forbidden any one to visit Midbranch, and yet he
did not feel that he had been either discourteous or inhospitable.
"There are times," he said to himself, "when a man must stand up for his
own interest; and this is one of the times."




CHAPTER XI.


In the little dining-room of the cottage at the Green Sulphur Springs
sat that evening Lawrence Croft, a perturbed and angry, but a resolute
man. He had been quite a long time coming to the conclusion to propose
to Roberta March, and now that he had made up his mind to do so, even in
spite of certain convictions, it naturally aroused his indignation to
find himself suddenly stopped short by such an insignificant person as
Mr Brandon, a gentleman to whom, in this affair, he had given no
consideration whatever. The fact that the lady wished to see him added
much to his annoyance and discomfiture. He had no idea what reason she
had for desiring an interview with him, but, whatever she should say to
him, he intended to follow by a declaration of his sentiments. He had
not the slightest notion in the world of giving up the prosecution of
his suit; but, having been requested not to come to Midbranch, what was
he to do? He might write to Miss March, but that would not suit him. In
a matter like this he would wish to adapt his words and his manner to
the moods and disposition of the lady, and he could not do this in a
letter. When he wooed a woman, he must see her and speak to her. To any
clandestine approach, any whispered conversation beneath her window, he
would give no thought. Having been asked by the master of the house not
to go there, he would not go; but he would see her, and tell his love.
And, more than that, he would win her.

That morning, while waiting for the time to approach when it would be
proper for him to go to Midbranch, he had been reading in a bound volume
of an old English magazine, which was one of the five books the cottage
possessed, an account of a battle which had interested him very much.
The commander of one army had massed his forces along and below the
crest of a line of low hills, the extreme right of his line being
occupied by a strong force of cavalry. The army opposed to him was much
stronger than his own, and it was not long before the battle began to go
very much against him. His positions on the left were carried by the
combined charge of the larger portion of the enemy's forces, and, in
spite of a vigorous resistance, his lines were forced back, down the
hill, and into the valley. It was quite evident he could make no stand,
and was badly beaten. Thereupon, he sent orders to his generals on the
left to retreat, in as good order as possible, across a small river in
their rear. While this movement was in progress, and the enemy was
making the greatest efforts to prevent it, the commander put himself at
the head of his cavalry and led them swiftly from the scene of battle.
He took them diagonally over the crest of the hill, down the other side,
and then charging with this fresh body of horse upon the rear and camp
of the enemy, he swiftly captured the general-in-chief, his staff, and
the Minister of War, who had come down to see how things were going on.
With these important prisoners he dashed away, leaving the acephalous
enemy to capture his broken columns if he could.

This was the kind of thing Lawrence Croft would like to do. For an hour
or more he puzzled his brains as to how he should make such a cavalry
charge, and at last he came to a determination; he would ask Junius
Keswick to assist him. There was something odd about this plan which
pleased Croft. Keswick was his rival, with the powerful backing of Mr
Brandon and a whole tribe of relatives, and it might naturally be
supposed that he was the last man in the world of whom he would ask
assistance. But, looking at it from his point of view, Lawrence thought
that not only would he be taking no undue advantage of the other in
asking him to help him in this matter, but that Keswick ought not and
would not object to it. If Miss March really preferred Croft, Keswick
should feel himself bound in honor to do everything he could to let the
two settle the affair between themselves. This was drawing the point
very fine, but Lawrence persuaded himself that if the case were reversed
he would not marry a girl who had not chosen another man, simply because
she had had no opportunity of doing so. He had a strong belief that
Keswick was of his way of thinking, and before he went to bed he wrote
his rival a note, asking him to call upon him the following day.

Early the next morning the note was carried over to Midbranch by a
messenger, who returned, saying that Mr Keswick had gone away, and that
his present address was Howlett's in the same county. This piece of
information caused Lawrence Croft to open his eyes very wide. A few days
before he had received a letter from Mrs Null, written at Howlett's, and
now Keswick had gone there. He had been very much surprised when he
found that the cashier had so successfully carried on the search for
Keswick as to come into the very county in Virginia where he was; and he
intended to write to her that he had no further occasion for her
services; but he had not done so, and here were the pursuer and the
pursued in the same town, or village, or whatever Howlett's was. He gave
Mrs Null credit for being one of the best detectives he had ever heard
of; for, apparently, she had not only been able to successfully track
the man she was in search of, but to find out where he was going, and
had reached the place in question before he did. But he also berated her
soundly in his mind for her over-officiousness. He had not wished her to
swoop down upon the man, but only to inform him of his whereabouts. The
next thing that would probably happen would be the appearance of Mrs
Null at the Green Sulphur Springs, holding Keswick by the collar. He
deeply regretted that he had ever intrusted this young woman with the
investigation, not because he had since met Keswick himself, but for
the reason that she was entirely too energetic and imprudent. If Keswick
should find out from her that she had been in search of him, and why, it
might bring about a very unpleasant state of affairs.

Croft saw now, quite plainly, what he must do. He must go to Howlett's
as quickly as possible. Perhaps Keswick and the cashier had not yet met,
and, in that case, all he would have to do would be to remunerate the
young woman and her husband--for she had informed him that she intended
to combine this business with a wedding tour--and send them off
immediately. He could then have his conference with Keswick there as
well as at the Springs. If any mischief had already been done, he did
not know what course he might have to pursue, but it was highly
necessary for him to be on the spot as soon as possible. He greatly
disliked to leave the neighborhood of Roberta March, but his absence
would only be temporary.

After an early dinner, he mounted the horse which he had hired from his
host of the Springs, and, with a valise strapped behind him, set out for
Howlett's. He had made careful inquiries in regard to the road, and
after a ride somewhat tiresome to a man not used to such protracted
horseback exercise, arrived at his destination about sundown. When he
reached the scattered houses which formed, as he supposed, the outskirts
of the village, for such he had been told it was, he rode on, but soon
found that he had left Howlett's behind him, and that those supposed
outskirts were the place itself. Hewlett's was nothing, in fact, but a
collection of eight or ten houses quite widely separated from each
other, and the only one of them which exhibited any public character
whatever, was the store, a large frame building standing a little back
from the road. Turning his horse, Lawrence rode up to the store and
inquired if there was any house in the neighborhood where he could get
lodging for the night.

The storekeeper, who came out to him, was a very little man whose
appearance recalled to Croft the fact that he had noticed, in this part
of the State, a great many men who were extremely tall, and a great many
who were extremely small, which peculiarity, he thought, might assist a
physiologist in discovering the different effects of hot bread upon
different organizations. He was quite as cordial, however, as the
biggest, burliest, and jolliest host who ever welcomed a guest to his
inn, as he informed Mr Croft that there was no house in the village
which made a business of entertaining strangers, but if he chose to stop
with him he would keep him and his horse for the night, and do what he
could to make him comfortable.

Lawrence ate supper that night with the storekeeper, his wife, and five
of his children; but as he was very hungry, and the meal was a plentiful
one, he enjoyed the experience.

"I suppose you're goin' on to Westerville in the mornin'?" said the
little host.

"No," replied Croft, "I am not going any farther than this place. Do you
know if a gentleman named Keswick arrived here recently?"

"Why, yaas," said the man, "if you mean Junius Keswick."

"Certainly he did," said Mrs Storekeeper. "He rode through here
yesterday, and he stopped at the store to see if we had any of that
Lynchburg tobacco he used to smoke when he lived here. He's gone on to
his aunt's."

"Where is that?" asked Croft.

"It's about two miles out on the Westerville road," said the little man.
"If I'd knowed you wanted to see him, I'd 'a told you to keep right on,
and you could 'a stopped with Mrs Keswick over night."

Lawrence wished to ask some questions about Mrs Null, but he was afraid
to do so lest he might excite suspicions by connecting her with Keswick.
If the latter had gone two miles out of town, perhaps she had not yet
seen him.

The room in which Lawrence slept that night was to him a very odd one.
It was a long apartment, at one end of which was a clean, comfortable
bed, a couple of chairs, and a table on which was a basin and pitcher.
At the other end were piles of new-looking boxes, containing groceries
of various kinds, rolls of cotton cloth and other dry goods, and, what
attracted his attention more than anything else, a vast number of bright
tin cans, bearing on their sides brilliant pictures of tomatoes,
peaches, green corn, and other preservable eatables. These were
evidently the reserved stores of the establishment, and they were so
different from the bedroom decorations to which he was accustomed, that
it quite pleased Lawrence to think that with all his experience in life
he was now lodged in a manner entirely novel to him. As he lay awake
looking at the moonlight glittering on the sides of the multitude of
cans, the thought came into his mind that this had probably been the
room of the Nulls when they were here.

"As this is the only house in the place where travellers are
entertained," he said to himself, "of course they must have come to it.
And as they are not here now, it is quite plain that they must have gone
away. I am very glad of it, especially if they left before Keswick
arrived, for their departure probably prevented an awkward situation.
But I shall ask the storekeeper no questions about these people. There
is no better way of giving inquisitive folk the _entrГ©e_ to your affairs
than by asking questions. Of course there was no reason why they should
stay here after they had successfully traced Keswick to this part of the
country; and every reason, if they wanted to enjoy themselves, why they
should go away. But I can't help being sorry that I did not meet the
young woman, and have an opportunity of paying her for her trouble, and
giving her a few words of advice in regard to her action, or, rather,
non-action in this matter. She has a fine head for business, but I
should like to feel certain that she understands that her business with
me is over."

And he turned his eyes from the glittering cans, and slept.

The next morning, Lawrence Croft rode on to Mrs Keswick's house, and
when he reached the second, or inner gate, he saw, on the other side of
it, an elderly female, wearing a purple sun-bonnet and carrying a purple
umbrella. There was something very eccentric about the garb of this
elderly personage, and many an inexperienced city man would have taken
her for a retired nurse, or some other domestic retainer of the family,
but there was a steadfastness in her gaze, and a fire in her eye, which
indicated to Lawrence that she was one much more accustomed to give
orders than to take them. He raised his hat very politely, and asked if
Mr Keswick was to be found there.

If the commander of the army, about whom Mr Croft had recently been
reading, had beheld in the earlier stages of the battle a strong,
friendly force advancing to his aid, he would not have been more
delighted than Lawrence would have been had he known what a powerful
ally to his cause stood beneath that purple sun-bonnet.

"Do you mean Junius Keswick?" said the old lady.

"Yes, madam," answered Croft.

"He is here, and you will find him at the house."

The gate was partly open, and Lawrence rode in. The old lady stepped
aside to let him pass.

"Do you want to see him on business?" she said. "How did you know he was
here?"


"I inquired at Howlett's, madam."

Mrs Keswick would have liked to ask some further questions, but there
was something about Lawrence's appearance that deterred her.

"You can tie your horse under that tree over there," she said, pointing
to a spot more trampled by hoofs than the old lady wished any other
portion of her house-yard to be.

When Lawrence had tied his bridle to a hook suspended by a strap from
one of the lower branches of the indicated tree, he advanced to the
house; and a very much astonished man was he to see, sitting side by
side on the porch, Junius Keswick and Mr Candy's cashier. They were
seated in the shade of a mass of honeysuckle vines, and were so busily
engaged in conversation that they had not perceived his approach. Even
now Lawrence had time to look at them for a few moments before they
turned their eyes upon him.

Equally astonished were the two people on the porch, who now arose to
their feet. Junius Keswick naturally wondered very much why Mr Croft
should come to see him here; and as for the young lady, she was almost
as much terrified as surprised. Had this man come down from New York to
swoop upon her cousin? Had it been possible that she could have given
him any idea of the whereabouts of Junius? In her last note to him she
had been very careful to promise information, but not to give any,
hoping thus to gain time to get an insight into the matter, and to keep
her cousin out of danger, if, indeed, any danger threatened. But here
the pursuer had found Junius in less than a day after she had first met
him herself. But when she saw Junius advance and shake hands in a very
friendly way with Mr Croft, her terror began to decrease, although her
surprise continued at the same high-water mark, and Keswick found
himself in a flood of the same emotion when Croft very politely saluted
his cousin by name, which salutation was returned in a manner which
indicated that the parties were acquainted.

At first Croft had been prompted to ignore all knowledge of the cashier,
and meet her as a stranger, but his better sense prevented this, for how
could he know what she had been saying about him.

"I was about to introduce you to my cousin," said Keswick, "but I see
that you already know each other."

"I have had the pleasure of meeting Mrs Null in New York," said
Lawrence, to whom the word cousin gave what might be called a more
important surprise than anything with which this three-sided interview
had yet furnished its participants. He gave a quick glance at the lady,
and discovered her very steadfastly gazing at him. "I hope," he said,
"that you and your husband have had a very pleasant trip."

"Mr Null did not come with me," she quietly replied.

Lawrence Croft was a man to whom it gave pleasure to deal with
problematic situations, unexpected developments, and the like; but this
was too much of a conundrum for him. That the man, whose address he had
employed this girl to find out, should prove to be her cousin, and that
she should start on her bridal trip without her husband, were points on
which his reason had no power to work. One thing, however, he quickly
determined upon. He would have an interview with Madam Cashier, and have
her explain these mysteries. She was, virtually, his agent, and had no
right to conceal from him what she had been doing, and why she had done
it.

It was necessary, however, that he should waste no time in thoughts of
this kind, but should immediately state to Mr Keswick the reason of his
visit; for it could not be supposed he had called in a merely social
way. "I wish to speak to you," he said, "on a little matter of
business."

At these words Mrs Null excused herself, and went into the house. Her
mind was troubled as she wondered what the business was which had made
this New York gentleman so extraordinarily desirous to find her cousin.
Was it anything that would injure Junius? She looked back as she entered
the door, but the object of her solicitude was sitting with a face so
calm and composed that it showed very plainly he did not expect any
communication which would be harmful to him.

"It is a satisfaction," thought Mr Croft, "a very great satisfaction
that I can enter upon the object of my visit knowing that my affairs and
my actions have not been discussed by this gentleman and Mrs Null."




CHAPTER XII.


Old Mrs Keswick would willingly have followed the strange gentleman to
the house in order to know the object of his visit, but as he had come
to see Junius she refrained, for she knew her nephew would not like any
appearance of curiosity on her part. Her reception of Junius had been
very different indeed from that she had previously accorded him when she
declined to be found under the same roof with him. Now he was here under
very different auspices, and for him the very plumpest poultry was
slain, and everything was done to make him comfortable and willing to
stay and become acquainted with his cousin, Mrs Null. A match between
these two young people was the present object of the old lady's
existence, and she set about making it with as much determination and
confidence as if there had been no such person as Mr Null. Of this
individual she had the most contemptible opinion. She had never asked
many questions about him, because, in her intercourse with her niece,
she wished, as far as possible, to ignore him. Having mentally pictured
him in various mean conditions of life, she had finally settled it in
her mind that he was an agent for some patent fertilizer; a man of this
kind being a very obnoxious person to her. This avocation, however,
constituted in the old lady's mind no excusable reason for his
protracted absence; and if ever a wife was deserted, she believed that
her niece Annie was such a wife.

"If he should stay away much longer," she said to herself, "we shall
have no more trouble in getting a divorce than to have his funeral
sermon preached. And if there is any talk of his coming here, or of her
going to him, I'll put my foot down on that sort of thing, if I've a
foot left to do it with."

When she had first perceived the approach of Mr Croft, a fear had seized
her that this might be the recreant husband, but the gentlemanly
appearance of the stranger soon dispelled this idea from her prejudiced
mind. Apart from the fact that she had no business at the house with her
nephew's visitor, she had positive business in the garden with old Uncle
Isham, and there she repaired. There was some work to be done in regard
to a flower pit, in which some of her choicest plants were to be
domiciled during the winter, and this she wished personally to oversee.
Although the autumn was well advanced, the day was somewhat warm; and as
the pair, whom Mr Croft had seen on the porch, had been glad to shelter
themselves in the shade of the honeysuckle vines, so Mrs Keswick seated
herself on a little bench behind a large arbor, still covered by heavy
vines, which stood on the boundary line between the garden and the front
yard, and opened on the latter. This bench, which was always shady in
the morning, she had had placed there that she might comfortably direct
the labors of old Isham, the boy Plez, or whoever, for the time being,
happened to be her gardener.

Mr Croft did not immediately begin the statement of the business which
had brought him to see Junius Keswick. Several windows of the house
opened on the porch, and he did not wish what he had to say to be heard
by any one except the person he was addressing. "I desire to talk to you
on some private matters," he said. "Could we not walk a little away from
the house?"

"Certainly," said Junius, rising. "We will step over to that arbor by
the garden. We shall be quite comfortable and secluded there. This is
the place," said Junius, as they seated themselves in the arbor, "where,
when a boy, I used to come to smoke. My aunt did not allow this
diversion, but I managed to do a good deal of puffing before I was found
out."

"Then you used to live here?" asked Croft.

"Oh, yes," said Keswick, "my parents died when I was quite a little
fellow, and my aunt had charge of me until I had grown up."

"Was that your aunt whom I met at the gate? There was something about
her bearing and general appearance which greatly interested me."

"She is a most estimable lady," returned Junius. And not wishing further
to discuss his relative, he added: "And now, what is it, sir, that I
can have the pleasure of doing for you?"

"The matter regards Miss March," said Croft.

"I presumed so," remarked the other. "I will state it as briefly as
possible," continued Croft. "In consequence of your visit to me at the
the Springs, I set out, the day before yesterday, to make another
attempt to call on Miss March, the first one having been frustrated, as
you may remember, by the information we received at the gate in regard
to Miss March's indisposition, which, as I have heard nothing more of
it, I hope was of no importance."

"Of none whatever," said Junius.

"When I was within a mile or so of Midbranch," continued Croft, "I met
Mr Brandon, who requested me not to come to his house, and, in fact, to
cease my visits altogether."

"What!" cried Keswick, very much surprised. "That is not at all like Mr
Brandon. What reason could he have for treating you in such a manner?"

"The very best in the world," said Croft. "Having, as the guardian of
his niece, asked me the object of my visit to Miss March, and, having
been informed by me that it was my intention to propose matrimony to the
lady, he requested that I would not visit at his house." "On what
ground did he base his objection to your visit?" asked Keswick.

"He made no objection to me; he simply stated that he did not desire me
to come, because he wished his niece to marry you."

"Quite plainly spoken," remarked Keswick.

"Nothing could be more so," replied Croft. "I could not expect any one
to be franker with me than he was. He went on to inform me that a match
between the lady and yourself was greatly desired by the whole family
connection, with a single exception, which, however, he did not name,
and, while he gave me to understand that he had no reason to fear that,
so far as the lady was concerned, my proposal would interfere with your
prospects, still, were it known that there was another aspirant in the
field, a very undesirable state of things might ensue. What this state
of affairs was he did not state, but I presume it had something to do
with the exceptional opposition to which he referred."

"And what did you say to all that?" asked Junius.

"I said very little. When a man asks me not to come to his house, I
don't go. But, nevertheless, I have fully made up my mind to propose to
Miss March as soon as I can get an opportunity. I have nothing to do
with family arrangements or family opposition. You have told me that
you are not engaged to her, and I am going to try to be engaged to her.
She is the one to decide this matter. And now I have called upon you, Mr
Keswick, to see if there is any way in which you can assist me in
obtaining an interview with Miss March."

"Don't you think," said Junius, "that it is rather cool in you to ask me
to assist you in this matter?"

"Not at all," replied the other. "If it had not been for you I should
now be in New York, with no thought of present proposals of marriage.
But you came to me, and insisted that I should see the lady." "That was
simply because she had expressed a strong desire to see you."

"Very good," said Lawrence. "I tried to go to her, as you know, and was
prevented. Now all I ask of you is to help me to do what you so strongly
urged me to do. There is nothing particularly cool in that, I think."

Keswick did not immediately reply. "I am not sure," he said, "that Miss
March still wishes to see you."

"That may be," replied Croft, speaking a little warmly. "None of us
exactly know what she thinks or wishes. But I want to find out what she
thinks about me by distinctly asking her. And I should suppose you would
consider it to your advantage, as well as mine, that I should do so."
"I have my own opinion on that point," said Keswick, "which it is not
necessary to discuss at present. If I were to assist you to an interview
with Miss March it would be on the lady's account, not on yours or mine.
But apart from the fact that I do not know if she now desires an
interview, I would not do anything that would offend or annoy Mr
Brandon."

"I don't ask that of you," said Croft, "but couldn't you use your
influence with him to give me a fair chance with the lady? That is all I
ask, and, whether she accepts me or rejects me, I am sure everybody
ought to be satisfied."

Keswick smiled. "You don't leave any margin for sentiment," he said,
"but I suppose it is just as well to deal with this matter in a
practical way. I do not think, however, that any influence I can exert
on Mr Brandon would induce him to allow you to address his niece if he
is opposed to it, and I am sure he would have a very strange opinion of
me if I attempted such a thing. At present I do not see that I can help
you at all, but I will think over the matter, and we will talk of it
again."