would have done so little harm. Rachel set many aside
for the cousins, and for Mrs. Menteith, others she tried to persuade
the Colonel to call Gowanbrae belongings, and failing in this, she hoped
through Grace, to smuggle some of them into his Gowanbrae; but when all
was done, there was a mass of things that Lord Keith never wished to see
again, and that seemed to Rachel to consist of more ornaments than she
could ever wear, and more knick-knacks than a captain's wife could ever
carry about with her.

She was putting aside the various packets of letters and papers to
be looked over more at leisure, when the Colonel knocked at the
morning-room door, and told her that his brother would like to see her,
when her work was done. "But first," he said, "I must ask you to be kind
enough to look over some of these papers, and try to find receipts for
some of those bills."

"Here they are," said Rachel, "I was going to look them over at home."

"If you have time to examine them here with me," said Colonel Keith,
gently, "I think it might save Alick some pain and vexation."

Rachel was entirely unaware of his meaning, and supposed he only thought
of the mere thrilling of the recent wound; but when he sat down and took
a long account out of a tradesman's envelope, a chill of dismay came
over her, followed by a glow of hope as she recollected a possible
explanation: "Have these wretched tradesmen been sending in bills over
again at such a time as this?" she exclaimed.

"I should be very glad to find their receipts," returned the Colonel.

They opened the most business-like looking bundles, all of them, though
neatly kept, really in hopeless confusion. In vain was the search, and
notes came forth which rendered it but too plain that there had been a
considerable amount of debt even before the marriage, and that she had
made partial payments and promises of clearing all off gradually, but
that her new expenses were still growing upon her, and the few payments
"on account," since she had been Lady Keith, by no means tallied with
the amount of new purchases and orders. No one had suspected her money
matters of being in disorder, and Rachel was very slow to comprehend;
her simple, country life had made her utterly unaware of the
difficulties and ways and means of a young lady of fashion. Even the
direct evidence before her eyes would not at first persuade her that
it was not "all those wicked tradesmen;" she had always heard that