he would fight against it to the last day of
her life. There was of course nothing to be done yet. Nothing until
she heard again. Nothing until she knew that the discovery of the will
was given up as hopeless. Then it would be time for her to do
something.

The thought barely occurred to her that the loss of this will might
make material difference in her own circumstances, and that the
allowance Herbert Penfold had made her, and which he had doubtless
intended she should continue to receive, would cease. That was so
secondary a consideration that it at present gave her no trouble. It
was of Ralph she thought. Of Ralph and Herbert. Were the plans that
the latter had made--the plans that had given happiness to the last
year of the life of him who had known so little happiness--to be
shattered? This to her mind was even more than the loss that Ralph
would suffer.

"They may have destroyed the will," she said at last; "but if not I
will find it, if it takes me all my life to do so."

A week later two letters arrived. The one was from Mrs. Withers. The
will had not been found. Mr. Tallboys had searched in vain. Every
cabinet and drawer in the house had been ransacked. No signs whatever
had been found of the will.

"Mr. Tallboys is perfectly convinced that it must be hidden in some
altogether exceptional place. The will was not a bulky document, and
might have been stowed away in a comparatively small hiding-place,
such as a secret drawer in a cabinet; but the leases that are also
missing are bulky, and would take up so large a space that he is
convinced that had a secret hiding-place sufficiently large to hold
them existed in any of the articles of furniture he has searched he
should have discovered it.

"Of course, my dear Mrs. Conway, we feel this matter personally, as
our Mabel was as you know made joint-heiress with your Ralph of
Herbert's property. We cannot but feel, however, that the loss is
greater in your case than in ours. Mabel was never informed of
Herbert's intentions toward her, and although we should of course have
been glad to know that our child had such brilliant prospects, the
loss of them will not we may hope in any way affect her happiness. In
the case of your son it is different, and his prospects in life will
of course be seriously affected by the loss, and my husband begs me to
express to you his very deep regret at this.

"We have talked over your letter together, and while fully sharing
yo