dress, but she had not spirits for it.

She sat there until Jan entered. Full an hour, it must have been, and
she had turned over all points in her mind, what could and what could
not be done. It did not appear much that could be. Jan came in, rather
wet. On his road from Verner's Pride he had overtaken one of his poor
patients, who was in delicate health, and had lent the woman his huge
cotton umbrella, hastening on, himself, without one.

"Cheese says you wish to see me, Miss Deb."

Miss Deb turned round from her listless attitude, and asked Mr. Jan to
take a chair. Mr. Jan responded by partially sitting down on the arm of
one.

"What is it?" asked he, rather wondering.

"I have had a letter from Prussia this morning, Mr. Jan, from my father.
He says you and he are about to dissolve partnership; that the practice
will be carried on by you alone, on your own account; and that--but you
had better read it," she broke off, taking the letter from her pocket,
and handing it to Jan.

He ran his eyes over it. Dr. West's was not a plain handwriting, but Jan
was accustomed to it. The letter was soon read.

"It's true, Miss Deb. The doctor thinks he shall not be returning to
Deerham, and so I am going to take to the whole of the practice,"
continued Jan, who possessed too much innate good feeling to hint to
Miss Deb of any other cause.

"Yes. But--it will place me and Amilly in a very embarrassing position,
Mr. Jan," added the poor lady, her thin cheeks flushing painfully.
"I--we shall have no right to remain in this house then."

"You are welcome to remain," said Jan.

Miss Deb shook her head. She felt, as she said, that they should have no
"right."

"I'd rather you did," pursued Jan, in his good-nature. "What do I and
Cheese want with all this big house to ourselves? Besides, if you and
Amilly go, who'd see to our shirts and the puddings?"

"When papa went away at first, was there not some arrangement made by
which the furniture became yours?"

"No," stoutly answered Jan. "I paid something to him to give me, as he
called it, a half-share in it with himself. It was a stupid sort of
arrangement, and one that I should never care to act upon, Miss Deb. The
furniture is yours; not mine."

"Mr. Jan, you would give up your right in everything, I believe. You
will never get rich."

"I shall get as rich as I want to, I dare say," was Jan's answer.
"Things can go on just the same as usual, you know, Miss Deb, and I c