the winter was nearly over before that time.

The squire in one of his retrospective moods went over "the whole
story," speaking very kindly of the young lad who had gone astray, and
of his brother who had died. He spoke kindly, too, of the old man, with
whom he had always been on the most friendly terms, but he did not
hesitate to say that he thought him foolish and unreasonable in the
position he took toward Jacob.

"It was because of something that happened when his son Hugh went away,
but Jacob was no more to blame than others; and it might have been all
right if the foolish young man had only stayed at home and taken the
risk. I tried at the time to talk things over with the old man, but he
never would hear a word. There are folks in Gershom who think hard of
Jacob, because of old Mr Fleming's opinion, though they did not know a
word about the matter. And I'm afraid it's going to do mischief in the
church."

"It is strange that I should never have heard of all this before," said
Mr Maxwell, at a loss to decide how much of the regret and anxiety
evidently felt by Mr Holt was due to the weakness of age. "During all
my visits to Mr Fleming, and you know I saw him frequently during his
illness, not a word was ever spoken that could have reference to any
trouble between the two, nor has your son--"

Mr Maxwell paused. He was not so sure of the exact correctness of what
he had been about to say. A good many hints and remarks of Jacob, and
of his wife also, which had seemed vague at the time, and which he had
allowed to pass without remark, occurred to him now as possibly having
reference to this trouble.

"Probably there has been misunderstanding between them," said he after a
little.

"Just so," said the old man eagerly. "Jacob aint the man to be hard on
anybody--to say hard; he likes to have what is his own, and being a good
man of business he hates shiftless doings, and so shiftless folks think
and say hard things of him. But as to taking the advantage of an old
man like Mr Fleming--why, it would be about as mean a thing as a man
could do, and Jacob aint the man to do it, whatever may be said of him.

"Why, look here, Mr Maxwell. Just let me tell you all about it." And
the old man, with perfect fairness and sufficient clearness, went into
all particulars as to the state of Mr Fleming's affairs at the time of
his son's death, and of Jacob's claims upon him. His real respect and
friendship for the o