!" he groaned. "We are still penned here. Yes, to be sure,
you did well to destroy the letter. I thought Alice would have sent
something--"

"Maybe she will bring some help with her," said his lady.

The selfish old man laughed bitterly.

"She brings herself and her girl--a pretty help in times like these.
Thank God, there is no room in the house for them!"

"You forget they cannot have heard of our losses. When last they heard
of us we had received Gorman's money for the mortgage, and were in
comfort. It is since then that all has been confiscated."

"That mortgage was robbery itself," said Mr Lestrange. "Gorman knew I
was hard hit, and not likely to stand out for a bargain, and he took
advantage of it. The estates are worth treble what he gave."

"That is past and gone," said the lady. "We must be patient. Perhaps
Felix will help us."

"My nephew is a selfish man," said the old gentleman; "besides, he has
but his pay. And now he has no expectations from us we need not expect
him to come near us."

All this talk went on while Biddy and I stood near, hearing it all. At
last the sturdy Biddy could stand it no longer.

"Hoot! take shame to yourself, Mr Lestrange. Thank God you're not one
of the fifty that ride in the tumbrel the morrow; thank God you've got a
sweet wife that will bear with your grumblings; and thank God you've got
a body like me that's not afraid to tell you what I think of yez. Hold
yer tongue now, and get to your beds."

Biddy, as I learned later on, had stuck of her own accord to her master
and mistress through all their troubles, and presumed on her position to
take her chicken-hearted lord severely to task when, like to-night, the
grumbling fit was upon him.

As for me, I was dismissed with little thanks from anybody; but Biddy
bade me call now and again to have a crack with her.

"I had a liking for your father, poor soul!" said she, wiping a corner
of her eye, "and thought he might have done worse than make me a mother
to you and Tim, rest his soul! But it's as well as it is, maybe. Poor
Tim! I always liked him better than you. He was his mother's son.
Well, well, he's dead too. Barry, my boy, we can't all just have what
we've not got; we all have to stand out of our own. Good-night to yez,
and come and see an old body sometimes that held you in her arms when
you were a fine kicking boy."

I confess Biddy puzzled me a little by her talk. Whenever she spoke of
old