was, as it were, the crown of the long waiting for
something out of nothing. All those little acerbities which creep into
the manner of two married people who are always trying to round the
corner fell away, and they sat together in one large chair, talking and
laughing over the countless tricks which Providence--that 'fat
chough'--had played them. They carried their light-heartedness to bed.

They were awakened next morning by the sound of a car. The Ford was
being delivered with a request for payment. Ralph did not pay; it would
be 'all right' he said. He stabled the car, and wrote to the lawyer that
he would be glad to have news, and an advance of L100. On his return
from town in the evening two days later he found Eileen in the
dining-room with her hair wild and an opened letter before her. She
looked up with the word: "Here!" and Ralph took the letter:

Lodgers & Wayburn, Solicitors, Ipswich

Dear Mr. Wotchett,

In answer to yours of the fifteenth, I have obtained Probate,
paid all debts, and distributed the various legacies. The
sale of furniture took place last Monday. I now have pleasure
in enclosing you a complete and I think final account, by
which you will see that there is a sum in hand of L43 due to
you as residuary legatee. I am afraid this will seem a
disappointing result, but as you were doubtless aware (though
I was not when I had the pleasure of seeing you), the greater
part of your Aunt's property passed under a Deed of
Settlement, and it seems she had been dipping heavily into
the capital of the remainder for some years past.

Believe me,
Faithfully yours,
EDWARD LODGERS.

For a minute the only sounds were the snapping of Ralph's jaws, and
Eileen's rapid breathing. Then she said:

"You never said a word about a Settlement. I suppose you got it muddled
as usual!"

Ralph did not answer, too deep in his anger with the old woman who had
left that 'fat chough' a hundred pounds to provide him--Ralph--with
forty-three.

"You always believe what you want to believe!" cried Eileen; "I never
saw such a man."

Ralph went to Ipswich on the morrow. After going into everything with
the lawyer, he succeeded in varying the account by fifteen shillings,
considerably more than which was absorbed by the fee for this interview,
his fare, and hotel bill. The conduct of his Aunt, in having caused him
to get it into his hea