you are not Captain Treverton's daughter
you have no right to one farthing of the
fortune that you possess; and it must be
restored at once to the person who is Captain
Treverton's next of kin—or, in other words,
to his brother."

"To that man! " exclaimed Rosamond.
"To that man who is a stranger to us, who
holds our very name in contempt! Are we
to be made poor that he may be made
rich?——"

"We are to do what is honourable and
just, at any sacrifice of our own interests
and ourselves," said Leonard firmly. "I
believe, Rosamond, that my consent, as your
husband, is necessary, according to the law,
to effect this restitution. If Mr. Andrew
Treverton was the bitterest enemy I had on
earth, and if the restoring of this money
utterly ruined us both in our worldly
circumstances, I would give it back of my own
accord to the last farthing; I would give it
back without an instant's hesitation—and so
would you!"

The blood mantled in his cheeks as he
spoke. Rosamond looked at him admiringly
in silence. "Who would have had him less
proud," she thought fondly, "when his pride
speaks in such words as those!"

"You understand now," continued Leonard,
"that we have duties to perform which will
oblige us to seek help from others, and which
will therefore render it impossible to keep
the secret to ourselves?  If we search all
England for her, Sarah Leeson must be found.
Our future actions depend upon her answers
to our inquiries, upon her testimony to the
genuineness of that letter. Although I am
resolved beforehand to shield myself behind
no technical quibbles and delays—although I
want nothing but evidence that is morally
conclusive, however legally imperfect it may
be—it is still impossible to proceed without
seeking advice immediately. The lawyer
who always managed Captain Treverton's
affairs, and who now manages ours, is the
proper person to direct us in instituting the
search; and to assist us, if necessary, in
making the restitution."

"How quietly and firmly you speak of it,
Lenny! Will not the abandoning of my
fortune be a dreadful loss to us?"

"We must think of it as a gain to our
consciences, Rosamond; and must alter our
way of life resignedly to suit our altered
means. But we need speak no more of
that until we are assured of the necessity
of restoring the money. My immediate
anxiety, and your immediate anxiety,
must turn now on the discovery of Sarah
Leeson—no! on the discovery of your mother;
I must learn to call her by that name, or I
shall not learn to pity and forgive her."

Rosamond nestled closer to her husband's
side. "Every word you say, love, does my
heart good," she whispered, laying her head
on his shoulder. "You will help me and
strengthen me when the time comes to meet
my mother as I ought? O, how pale and
worn and weary she was when she stood by
my bedside, and looked at me and my child!
Will it be long before we find her? Is she
far away from us, I wonder? or nearer, much
nearer, than we think?"

Before Leonard could answer, he was
interrupted by a knock at the door, and Rosamond
was surprised by the appearance of the
maid servant. Betsey was flushed, excited,
and out of breath; but she contrived to
deliver intelligibly a brief message from Mr.
Munder, the steward, requesting permission
to speak to Mr. Frankland or to Mrs. Frankland
on business of importance.

"What is it? What does he want?"
asked Rosamond.

"I think, ma'am, he wants to know whether
he had better send for the constable or not,"
answered Betsey.

"Send for the constable! " repeated Rosamond.
"Are there thieves in the house in
broad daylight?"

"Mr. Munder says he don't know but what
it may be worse than thieves," replied Betsey.
"It's the foreigner again, if you please, ma'am.
He come up and rung at the door as bold as
brass, and asked if he could see Mrs. Frankland."

"The foreigner!" exclaimed Rosamond,
laying her hand eagerly on her husband's
arm.

"Yes, ma'am," said Betsey. " Him as
come here to go over the house along with
the lady——"

Rosamond, with characteristic impulsiveness,
started to her feet. " Let me go down!"
she began.

"Wait," interposed Leonard, catching her
by the hand. "There is not the least need
for you to go down stairs. Show the
foreigner up here," he continued, addressing
himself to Betsey, "and tell Mr. Munder that
we will take the management of this business
into our own hands."

Rosamond sat down again by her husband's
side. "This is a very strange accident," she
said, in a low, serious tone. " It must be
something more than mere chance that puts the
clue into our hands at the moment when we
least expected to find it."

The door opened for the second time, and
there appeared, modestly, on the threshold, a
little old man, with rosy cheeks and long
white hair. A small leather case was slung
by a strap at his side, and the stem of a pipe
peeped out of the breast-pocket of his coat.
He advanced one step into the room, stopped,
raised both his hands with his felt hat
crumpled up in them to his heart, and made
five fantastic bows in quick succession—two
to Mrs. Frankland, two to her husband, and
one to Mrs. Frankland, again, as an act of
separate and special homage to the lady.
Never had Rosamond seen a more complete
embodiment in human form of perfect