and many thanks. Ten
o'clock to-morrow."

And she walked home without looking once behind her till the hotel was in
sight; then she stopped at a shop window, and in a moment her swift eye
embraced the whole landscape. But the shabby-genteel man was nowhere in
sight.

CHAPTER LVII.

WHEN Joseph Wylie disappeared from the scene, Nancy Rouse made a
discovery which very often follows the dismissal of a suitor--that she
was considerably more attached to him than she had thought. The house
became dull, the subordinate washerwomen languid; their taciturnity
irritated and depressed Nancy by turns.

In the midst of this, Michael Penfold discovered that Helen had come back
safe. He came into her parlor, beaming with satisfaction, and told her of
the good news. It gave her immense delight at first. But, when she had
got used to her joy on that score, she began to think she had used Joe
Wylie very ill. Now that Helen was saved, she could no longer realize
that Wylie was so very much to blame.

She even persuaded herself that his disappearance was the act of a justly
offended man; and, as he belonged to a class of whose good sense she had
a poor opinion, she was tormented with fears that he would do some
desperate act--drown himself, or go to sea; or, worst of all, marry some
trollop. She became very anxious and unhappy. Before this misfortune she
used to go about singing the first verse of a song, and whistling the
next, like any plowboy; an eccentric performance, but it made the house
gay. Now both song and whistle were suspended! and, instead, it was all
hard work and hard crying; turn about.

She attached herself to Michael Penfold because he had known trouble, and
was sympathetic. And these two opened their hearts to one another, and
formed a friendship that was very honest and touching.

The scene of their conversation and mutual consolation was Nancy's
parlor; a little mite of a room she had partitioned off from her
business. "For," said she, "a lady I'll be--after my work is done--if it
is only in a cupboard." The room had a remarkably large fireplace, which
had originally warmed the whole floor, but now was used as a ventilator
only. The gas would have been stifling without it. As for lighting a fire
in it, that was out of the question.

On a certain evening, soon after Mr. Penfold's return from Scotland, the
pair sat over their tea, and the conversation fell on the missing
sweetheart. Michael had been thinki