y. She drew the knitted shawl more tightly
round her spare and shivering body.

"I am afraid you will find this room a little cold," she said; "we are
having the kitchen chimney cleaned, so I was sitting here." She gave a
hurried glance at the bureau, feeling a suspicion that she might not
have shut the drawer tight, or that one of the bills might have somehow
got left out. No, all was safe, but her excuse had not deceived the
churchwarden.

"Phemie," he said, not unkindly, though the word brought tears to her
eyes, for it was the first time that anyone had called her by the old
childhood name since the night that Martin died--"Phemie, you should not
stint yourself in fires. It is a false economy; you must let me send
you a coal ticket."

"Oh no, thank you very much; we have plenty," she cried, speaking
quickly, for she would rather have starved outright, than that it should
be said a member of the Dorcas Society had taken a parish coal ticket.
He urged her no more, but took the chair that she offered him, feeling a
little uncomfortable withal, as a well-clothed and overfed man should,
in the presence of penury. It was true he had not been to see her for
some time; but, then, Bellevue Lodge was so far off, and he had been so
pressed with the cares of the parish and of his business. Besides that,
their walks of life were so different, and there was naturally a strong
objection to any kinswoman of his keeping a lodging-house. He felt
sorry now that compassion had betrayed him into calling her "cousin" and
"Phemie"; she certainly _was_ a distant kinswoman, but _not_, he
repeated to himself, a cousin; he hoped she had not noticed his
familiarity. He wiped his face with a pocket-handkerchief that had seen
some service, and gave an introductory cough.

"There is a little matter on which I should like to have a few words
with you," he said, and Miss Joliffe's heart was in her mouth; he _had_
heard, then, of these terrible debts and of the threatened summons.

"Forgive me if I go direct to business. I am a business man and a plain
man, and like plain speaking."

It is wonderful to what rude remarks, and unkind remarks and untrue
remarks such words as these commonly form the prelude, and how very few
of these plain speakers enjoy being plainly spoken to in turn.

"We were talking just now," he went on, "of the duty of walking
circumspectly, but it is our duty, Miss Joliffe, to see that those over
whom we are set