if I could only
lay my hand on some man I could trust!" she thought, despairingly. "If I
only knew where to look for somebody to help me!"

As the idea passed through her mind, the sound of her daughter's voice
startled her from the other side of the door.

"May I come in?" asked Neelie.

"What do you want?" returned Mrs. Milroy, impatiently.

"I have brought up your breakfast, mamma."

"My breakfast?" repeated Mrs. Milroy, in surprise. "Why doesn't Rachel
bring it up as usual?" She considered a moment, and then called out,
sharply, "Come in!"

II. THE MAN IS FOUND.

Neelie entered the room, carrying the tray with the tea, the dry toast,
and the pat of butter which composed the invalid's invariable breakfast.

"What does this mean?" asked Mrs. Milroy, speaking and looking as she
might have spoken and looked if the wrong servant had come into the
room.

Neelie put the tray down on the bedside table. "I thought I should like
to bring you up your breakfast, mamma, for once in a way," she replied,
"and I asked Rachel to let me."

"Come here," said Mrs. Milroy, "and wish me good-morning."

Neelie obeyed. As she stooped to kiss her mother, Mrs. Milroy caught her
by the arm, and turned her roughly to the light. There were plain signs
of disturbance and distress in her daughter's face. A deadly thrill of
terror ran through Mrs. Milroy on the instant. She suspected that the
opening of the letter had been discovered by Miss Gwilt, and that the
nurse was keeping out of the way in consequence.

"Let me go, mamma," said Neelie, shrinking under her mother's grasp.
"You hurt me."

"Tell me why you have brought up my breakfast this morning," persisted
Mrs. Milroy.

"I have told you, mamma."

"You have not! You have made an excuse; I see it in your face. Come!
what is it?"

Neelie's resolution gave way before her mother's. She looked aside
uneasily at the things in the tray. "I have been vexed," she said, with
an effort; "and I didn't want to stop in the breakfast-room. I wanted to
come up here, and to speak to you."

"Vexed? Who has vexed you? What has happened? Has Miss Gwilt anything to
do with it?"

Neelie looked round again at her mother in sudden curiosity and alarm.
"Mamma!" she said, "you read my thoughts. I declare you frighten me. It
_was_ Miss Gwilt."

Before Mrs. Milroy could say a word more on her side, the door opened
and the nurse looked in.

"Have you got what you want?" she asked, as c