ore 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,