rew older; but that she was conscious of her "natteredness" was
a new thing, and a great gain to the comfort of the house, for it
made her very grateful for forbearance, and more aware of kindness
than she had ever been before. She had become very deaf; yet she
was uneasy and jealous if she were not informed of all the family
thoughts, plans, and proceedings, which often had (however private in
their details) to be shouted to her at the full pitch of the voice.
But she always heard Leonard perfectly. His clear and bell-like
voice, which was similar to his mother's, till sorrow had taken the
ring out of it, was sure to be heard by the old servant, though
every one else had failed. Sometimes, however, she "got her hearing
sudden," as she phrased it, and was alive to every word and noise,
more particularly when they did not want her to hear; and at such
times she resented their continuance of the habit of speaking loud
as a mortal offence. One day, her indignation at being thought deaf
called out one of the rare smiles on Leonard's face; she saw it, and
said, "Bless thee, lad! if it but amuses thee, they may shout through
a ram's horn to me, and I'll never let on I'm not deaf. It's as good
a use as I can be of," she continued to herself, "if I can make that
poor lad smile a bit."

If she expected to be everybody's confidante, she made Leonard hers.
"There!" said she, when she came home from her marketing one Saturday
night, "look here, lad! Here's forty-two pound, seven shillings, and
twopence! It's a mint of money, isn't it? I took it all in sovereigns
for fear of fire."

"What is it all for, Sally?" said he.

"Aye, lad! that's asking. It's Mr Benson's money," said she,
mysteriously, "that I've been keeping for him. Is he in the study,
think ye?"

"Yes! I think so. Where have you been keeping it?"

"Never you mind!" She went towards the study, but thinking she might
have been hard on her darling in refusing to gratify his curiosity,
she turned back, and said:

"I say--if thou wilt, thou mayst do me a job of work some day. I'm
wanting a frame made for a piece of writing."

And then she returned to go into the study, carrying her sovereigns
in her apron.

"Here, Master Thurstan," said she, pouring them out on the table
before her astonished master. "Take it, it's all yours."

"All mine! What can you mean?" asked he, bewildered.

She did not hear him, and went on:

"Lock it up safe, out o' the way. Dunnot go a