"Oh, I'll tell you, sir," said one of the men. "We've had our eyes upon my lady a pretty good while, but we've caught her at last. Just you look, sir, at that lot of things upon the ground; you don't know the traffic she's been carrying on for years among the poor foolish girls, telling their fortunes and all manner of nonsense. She didn't see me hid up behind the hay stack, at Farmer Gubbin's, where I heard every word she said, and she coaxed the poor fool of a maid out of this half-crown first, and then she got her to go and bring this silver spoon, belonging to the farmer; and, as if that wasn't enough, she made her go and get that new shawl and all those other things belonging to her mistress; but I've nabbed her now, the old thief; she'll have a nice little dance upon the mill, I hope. Howsomever, we'll just hand her off to the Magistrates at North Leigh. Now, come on, missus," he said, addressing the old

woman.

But it was easier said than done, for I never saw any woman apparently so strong, or who seemed so well able to fight for herself; but, as the language used on the occasion was far from elegant, we thought we had seen enough, and walked on.

"I was never better pleased in my life," exclaimed Cuthbert, throwing his stick as far as he could for Juno to fetch. "It is incalculable the influence these old vagrants possess, and the mischief they do. Maud Sullivan."

Witness that stupid idiot,

“Ah,” I said, “I believe Maud is sorry for it now, and beginning to feel ashamed of herself; and I am so glad to think she has become reconciled to the visits of Mr. Coulson, I trust he will teach her to see things in a different light, and not in such a desponding spirit."

"She must have more faith in him than I have, then," said Cuthbert, laughing.

CHAPTER VI.

THE STORY OF OUR GRAVES.

HARRY was perfectly right, for, strange to say, within a week another needle was extracted from his ancle.

And I fear I shall hardly be credited when I assert the astonishing fact, that during the next three months portions of three more needles worked out through different parts of his body and limbs, occasioning much or little pain according to the parts in which they were situated, the worst being at the side of the nose, causing him the greatest amount of suffering and fever. Whether or not they had any thing to do with his other attacks, I leave it to wiser heads than mine to decide; certain it is that I never heard of their subsequent recurrence. As for the needles, it is a mystery, which must for ever remain such. How they ever got into the lad, or why they found their way out where they

did, is a riddle which none can ever solve, and on which I refrain from commenting. I merely state the circumstances as it occurred.*

In the month of February, Harry went to Cheltenham, and a sad blank it left amongst us: our daily intercourse with the inmates of Emerald Bank had endeared him greatly both to Cuthbert and myself. We seemed to miss him everywhere, but it was for his good and so we all tried to be reconciled. We could not but be aware that Lotty felt the separation severely, but, for her mother's sake, she endeavoured not to show it, and after a time in part succeeded on resuming her usual cheerful though placid manner. Still, with the return of spirits she did not seem to regain her strength, as we could wish. Cuthbert, however, hoped her health would improve as soon as it should be safe for her to encounter the open air. Mrs. Wilson used to walk about the room as if she did not know in the least what she was doing; now and then coming across some of Harry's little things, she would take them up, look at them for a while, then lay them down again, and stand nervously twining her poor fingers together. Yet never expressing in words, how severely she was feeling his absence.

* Told me, as a fact, as regarded a young female.

And sometimes it was with difficulty we could gain her attention sufficiently to make her understand what we said.

mental faculties

At last, Cuthbert and I became seriously alarmed about her, for her seemed certainly failing her. Lotty had made no remark on her strange bewildered state, though we both thought we saw her watching her silent movements with deep anxiety in her expressive eyes. It was too delicate a subject to broach to her own child; and then what steps were to be taken should our fears be verified? No, things must go on as they were for the present, time and the advancing spring might do much, and we must talk of Harry's vacations, and what we would all do when he was at home again. But there was something else, I could now plainly see, which was of far deeper interest to Cuthbert, and that was, that time brought no permanent roses to Lotty's cheek, though too often a vivid hectic flush would light up her eye, with an unnatural brilliancy, making her look only too lovely, notwithstanding the envious little cap that still concealed her finely-formed head, only permitting the soft but short dark hair. to shade with a narrow border the forehead's whiteness. Sometimes for several days she would