ng and wholly unexpected event now broke into the strenuous
days of the mistress of 'The Seven Stars.' It followed another, which
was now a thing of the past; but Mrs. Northover had scarcely finished
being thankful that the old order was restored again, when that occurred
to prove the old order could never be restored.

Job Legg had been called away to the deathbed of an aged uncle. For a
fortnight he was absent, and during that time Nelly Northover found
herself the victim of a revelation. She perceived, indeed, startling
truths until then hidden from her, and found the absence of Job created
undreamed-of complications. At every turn she missed the man and
discovered, very much to her own surprise, that this most unassuming
person appeared vital to the success of her famous house. On every hand
she heard the same words; all progress was suspended; nothing could
advance until the return of Mr. Legg. 'The Seven Stars' were arrested in
their courses while he continued absent.

Thus his temporary disappearance affected the system and proved that
around the sun of Job Legg, quite as much as his mistress, the galaxy
revolved; but something more than this remained to be discovered by Mrs.
Northover herself. She found that not only had she undervalued his
significance and importance in her scheme of things; but that she
entertained a personal regard for the man, unsuspected until he was
absent. She missed him at every turn; and when he came back to her, after
burying his uncle, Mrs. Northover could have kissed him.

This she did not do; but she was honest; she related the suspension of
many great affairs for need of Job; she described to him the dislocation
that his departure had occasioned and declared her hearty thankfulness
that her right hand had returned to her.

"You was uppermost in my mind a thousand times a day, Job; and when it
came to doing the fifty thousand things you do, I began to see what
there is to you," said Nelly Northover. "And this I'll say: you haven't
been getting enough money along with me."

He was pleased and smiled and thanked her.

"I've missed 'The Stars,'" he said, "and am very glad to be back."

Then when things were settled down and Mrs. Northover happy and content
once more, Mr. Legg cast her into much doubt and uncertainty. Indeed his
attitude so unexpected, awoke a measure of dismay. Life, that Nelly
hoped was becoming static and comfortable again, suddenly grew highly
dynamic. Change