a departed age, and to
laugh over the scent of rose and lavender which hung about the skeins
and spools. And he had told her that when he died the rosewood box
should be hers--as long as he lived, he said, it must stand on his chest
of drawers, so that he could see it at least twice a day.

Jacob Herapath was dead now, and buried, and the rosewood box and
everything else that had been his had passed to Peggie--as things were,
at any rate. She presently walked up to the queer old chest of drawers,
and drew the rosewood box towards her and lifted the lid. It was years
since Jacob had shown it to her, and she remembered the childish delight
with which she had lifted out the tray which lay on the top and looked
into the various compartments beneath it. Now she opened the box again,
and lifted the tray--and there, lying bold and uncovered before her
eyes, she saw a letter, inscribed with one word in Jacob Herapath's
well-known handwriting--"Peggie."

If Jacob Herapath himself had suddenly appeared before her in that quiet
room, the girl could scarcely have felt more keenly the strange and
subtle fear which seized upon her as she realized that what she was
staring at was probably some message to herself. It was some time before
she dared to lay hands on this message--when at last she took the letter
out of the box her fingers trembled so much that she found a difficulty
in opening the heavily-sealed envelope. But she calmed herself with a
great effort, and carrying the half-sheet of note-paper, which she drew
from its cover, over to the window, lifted it in the fading light and
read the few lines which Jacob Herapath had scrawled there.

"If anything ever happens suddenly to me, my will, duly
executed and witnessed by Mr. Tertius and Mr. Frank
Burchill, is in a secret drawer of my old bureau which
lies behind the third small drawer on the right-hand
side.

"JACOB HERAPATH."

That was all--beyond a date, and the date was a recent one. "If anything
ever happens suddenly"--had he then felt some fear, experienced any
premonition, of a sudden happening? Why had he never said anything to
her, why?

But Peggie realized that such questions were useless at that time--that
time was pre-eminently one of action. She put the letter back in the
rosewood box, took the box in her arms, and carrying it off to her own
room, locked it up in a place of security. And that