Teesdale was most urgent to see Mr. Creswell,
but I thought it better to prevent
him."

"You did perfectly right; he must be
denied to everybody save those immediately
around him, and all matters of business,
and anything likely to excite or worry
him in the least, must be studiously kept
from him."

They were descending the stairs as the
doctor spoke, and in the hall they found
Mr. Teesdale, who had just ridden up in
hot haste, and was parleying with one of the
servants. He took off his hat when he
saw Mrs. Creswell and the doctor, and was
about to speak, but Marian was before
him— " I hope you are not again wishing
to see my husband, Mr. Teesdale, as I shall
be compelled again to refuse you! Dr.
Osborne here will tell you that I am acting in
accordance with his strict orders." And the
doctor then repeated to the agent all that
he had just said to Marian.

"It's an uncommonly vexatious thing,"
said Mr. Teesdale, when the doctor had
concluded: " of course it can't be helped,
and whatever you say must be attended to,
but it's horribly annoying."

"What is it?" asked Dr. Osborne.

"A matter of Ramsay's, that truculent
brute of a fellow who holds the White
Farm down Helmingham way. He's made
a claim that I know the chief wouldn't
acknowledge, and that consequently I
daren't pay; though, knowing the fellow as
I do, I'm not sure it wouldn't be safest and
best in the long run."

"Why don't you act on your own
responsibility, then?"

"Not I. The chief had a throw-up with
this man before, and declared he would
never give in to him again. He's an ill-
conditioned scoundrel, and vows all kind of
vengeance if he isn't paid."

"My good friend," said the doctor, " you
and I know pretty well that Mr. Creswell
is able to laugh at the threatened
vengeance of a person like this Mr. Ramsay.
I must not have my patient disturbed for
any such matters. Carry on the business
yourself, Teesdale. I know what trust Mr.
Creswell places in you, and I know how
well it is deserved."

"Then I shall tell Mr. Ramsay to go
to ——"

"Exactly," said the doctor, interrupting.
"You could not consign him to more fitting
company."

On the evening of the second day from
this colloquy, Marian returned from a long
drive in her pony carriage, during which
her thoughts had been of anything but a
cheerful character. She had been suffering
from that horrible sinking of heart which
comes sometimes, we know not why, bringing
with it the impression that something,
we know not what, save that it is unpleasant,
is impending over us. When she
alighted, she inquired whether Mr. Creswell
had rung for anything, and whether
Dr. Osborne had called, and received
answers in the negative in both cases. A
letter marked " immediate" had come for
master, that was all. A letter! Where
was it? Mr. Barlow, the butler, had taken
it up to master's room, the valet being out.
Marian heard of the arrival of this letter
with a strange sense of fear, and hurried
up to her husband's room.

She entered noiselessly and advanced
quickly to the bed. Mr. Creswell was
lying back, his hands clasped in front of
him, his eyes closed, his face very grey and
rigid. She thought at first that he was
dead, and half screamed and called him by
his name, but then, without speaking, without
looking, he unclasped his hands, pointed
to a folded paper on the coverlet, and then
resumed his former position. The letter!
She took it up and read it eagerly. It was
dated from the White Farm, and signed
John Ramsay. It commenced with
setting forth his claims to money which was
due to him, and which he knew would
have been paid " had the squire been
about," and it proceeded to revile Mr.
Teesdale, and to declare that he was
robbing his employer, and " feathering his
own nest." The last paragraph ran thus:

"And you must be sharp and get about
again, squire, and look to your own. You
are bamboozled and cheated in every way
right under your nose, in your own house,
by your own wife. Why it's common talk
in the town how you was done in the election
by Mrs. C. She had young Joyce for a
sweetheart long before she knew you, when
he was a school usher, and gave him the
sack and threw him over when she wanted
you and your money, which she always
hankered after, and took on with him again
when she saw him down here, and got that
old thief Osborne, which overcharges the
poor for his beastly drugs, to square it and
keep you out of the fun."

As Marian read and re-read this
paragraph she turned sick at heart and thought
she should have fainted, but was recalled
to herself by a cold clammy touch on
her wrist, and looking down she saw her