same proceeding, the watchers
soon tired of simply observing him.

"Stay here, Susanna. You were right. It is he. I will go and speak to
him."

"Alone? Oh, Eunice, don't! Let the old quilt go! I wish I hadn't told
ye. Besides, who'd ever want to sleep under it after he'd touched it?"

But though she caught at her mistress's hand to prevent such
foolhardiness, Susanna could not stop her. She was walking swiftly
toward the searcher and almost noiselessly, and had come up to him
before he was aware. When she was close at his side, so close that her
firm fingers rested on his ragged shoulder, he discovered her and
started away. But she held him quiet, more by her will than her grasp,
while, looking steadily into his eyes, she spoke his name, gently,
kindly, as one who welcomes a long absent friend:

"Nathan! Why, Nathan! How glad I am to see you!"

The tramp no longer struggled to free himself, but as if spellbound by
her gaze returned it in silence. Gradually there stole over his haggard
features the light of recognition, and, instead of remembering later
events, his mind reverted to his boyhood.

"Be you Miss Eunice? But--I hain't got my lesson."

Again he would have slunk away expecting a reprimand; yet none came.
Quite to the contrary, Miss Maitland's own face brightened and she
laughed, answering:

"Never mind the lesson, laddie. We're not little boy and young woman
to-day, Sunday scholar and Sunday teacher. We're just two old friends
well met, with other things to learn besides printed lessons. What have
you lost? Can I help you find it?"

"A box. His'n. I fetched it safe so fur--an' now--now--I can't see it
nowhere. Planck'll frown an' make me feel mean. I promised--"

There a pitiful stupidity took the place of the intelligent recognition
he had momentarily displayed, and he resumed that fruitless search under
the trees.

"Wait, Nathan. Maybe I know. Maybe I can help you. The box was an old,
old box. It was of mahogany, heavy, bound with brass, with neither key
nor keyhole, and only those who had been shown how could open it. Is
that the one, Nathan?"

"Yes, yes! It's all safe inside. He put it there--just when--just--"

With a sudden outburst of grief he began to weep. The great tears ran
down his dirty cheeks and streaked them. His breath came in great
blubbering sobs which he made no effort to check.

Eunice Maitland also went back in spirit many years and saw before her
now, not the repellent v