have no doubt in my mind, Eleanor, that it was another attempt to
discover the will."

"Do you think so?" Eleanor said in an awed voice. "That is terrible.
But you said the men were engaged in packing up the candlesticks and
ornaments."

"Oh, I believe that was a mere blind. Of course they would wish us to
believe they were simply burglars, and therefore they acted as such to
begin with. But there has never been any attempt on the house during
the forty years we have lived here. Why should there be so now? If
Anna had not fortunately heard those men I believe that when they had
packed up a few things to give the idea that they were burglars, they
would have gone to the library and set to to ransack it and find the
will."

"But they would never have found it, Charlotte. It is too well hidden
for that."

"There is no knowing," Miss Penfold said gloomily. So long as it is in
existence we shall never feel comfortable. It will be much better to
destroy it."

"No, no!" Eleanor exclaimed. "We agreed, Charlotte, that there was no
reason why we should assist them to find it; but that is altogether a
different thing from destroying it. I should never feel happy again if
we did."

"As for that," Miss Penfold said somewhat scornfully, "you don't seem
very happy now. You are always fretting and fidgeting over it."

"It is not I who am fancying that these burglars came after the will,"
Eleanor answered in an aggrieved voice.

"No; that is the way with timid people," Miss Penfold said. "They are
often afraid of shadows, and see no danger where danger really exists.
At any rate, I am determined to see whether the will really is where
we suppose it to be. If it is I shall take it out and hide it in the
mattress of my bed. We know that it will be safe there at any rate as
long as I live, though I think it wiser to destroy it."

"No, no," Eleanor exclaimed; "anything but that. I sleep badly enough
now, and am always dreaming that Herbert is standing by my bedside
with a reproachful look upon his face. I should never dare sleep at
all if we were to destroy it."

"I have no patience with such childish fancies, as I told you over and
over again," Miss Penfold said sharply. "If I am ready to take the
risk of doing it, I do not see that you need fret about it. However, I
am ready to give in to your prejudices, and indeed would rather not
destroy it myself if it can be safely kept elsewhere. At any rate I
shall move it from its hi