read it," and passed into her own
bedroom, where, with the sense of his presence, she clasped it to her
tenderly an instant, and still standing, broke the seal.

It was simple, sincere, and so formal that all the world might have read
it, and yet, it said all that she would have wanted him to say.

My Dear Elizabeth [it began]: When this reaches your hand, my heart
will have ceased to trouble either of us. I will have fought my
little fight; I will have kept the faith--which I started out too
late to keep. The little I leave you will be small recompense for all
I have cost you, but it is all I have, and will, I hope, help toward
emancipating you from care. My one earnest bit of advice to you is,
_keep it free from debts_.

I wish I might have spared you these last few days and their various
burdens, but I am sure they will be less heavy than if I chose to
wait.

Hugh.

Elizabeth Hunter returned to the table with the open letter, which she
handed to Doctor Morgan saying:

"Read it aloud, Doctor," and stood behind her chair with her head bowed
while it was being done.

When it was finished, she looked about her, measuring the different
members of the group, wondering if it said the things to them which it
cried aloud to her. The survey was satisfactory, till she suddenly
realized that John was not there.

"Where's John," she asked.

"Gone out to see Nate Hornby--he's brought the baby," Luther answered.

Doctor Morgan started for home, taking the will with him to have it
legally probated, and Elizabeth took Jack from his father's arms, and went
back to put away her letter, forgetting that John had not heard it read.
Nathan came to spend the rest of the day. He knew from personal experience
the cheerlessness of the house which has but lately harboured the dead.

CHAPTER XXIV

FACING CONSEQUENCES

The next Sunday John was thrown in upon Elizabeth for entertainment. He
had been a little more tender with her since the funeral, reflecting that
women were easily upset by death and that this death had been particularly
tragic in its sadness and disturbing features. He missed Hugh, and an
intangible something about the will made him uncomfortable; but they would
be rich in time and he could simply oversee the business, and life would
be more satisfactory. If he thought of Luther and Nathan as witnesses, the
thought was made p