g boy was sent off for a surgeon.

Emily did not know what to do; but compassion kept her in the cottage
till the stranger recovered his consciousness, and then after inquiring
how he felt, she was about to withdraw, intending to send down further
aid from the hall. But the stranger beckoned her faintly to come nearer,
and said in tones of real gratitude, "Thank you a thousand times,
Mistress Emily; I never thought to need such kindness at your hands. But
now do me another, and say not a word to any one at the mansion of what
has happened. It will be better for me, for you, for your father, that
you should not speak of this business."

"Do not! do not! Mistress Emily!" cried the old man, who was standing
near. "It will only make mischief and bring about evil."

He spoke evidently under strong apprehension, and Emily was much
surprised, both to find that one quite a stranger to her knew her at
once, and to find the old cottager, a long dependant upon her family,
second so eagerly his strange injunction.

"I will say nothing unless questions are asked me," she replied; "then
of course I must tell the truth."

"Better not," replied the young man gloomily.

"I cannot speak falsely," replied the beautiful girl, "I cannot deal
doubly with my parents or any one," and she was turning away.

But the stranger besought her to stop one moment, and said, "I have not
strength to explain all now; but I shall see you again, and then I will
tell you why I have spoken as you think strangely. I shall see you
again. In common charity you will come to ask if I am alive or dead. If
you knew how near we are to each other, I am sure you would promise!"

"I can make no such promise," replied Emily; but the old cottager seemed
eager to end the interview; and speaking for her, he exclaimed, "Oh, she
will come, I am sure, Mistress Emily will come;" and hurried her away,
seeing her back to the little gate in the park wall.

CHAPTER XVI.

Mrs. Hazleton found Mr. Shanks, the attorney, the most difficult person
to deal with whom she had ever met in her life. She had remarked that he
was keen, active, intelligent, unscrupulous, confident in his own
powers, bold as a lion in the wars of quill, parchment, and red tape;
without fear, without hesitation, without remorse. There was nothing
that he scrupled to do, nothing that he ever repented having done. She
had fancied that the only difficulty which she could have to encounter
was that of con