en waited for."

When Dexie entered her father's room, she found Mr. Hackett, the lawyer,
present, and she was about to withdraw when her father called her to his
side.

"You will have to go over the papers in the desk with Mr. Hackett, Dexie,"
he said. "There are one or two missing which I know I have put somewhere in
safety, so look carefully, dear; the loss of them would be rather serious
in a case that Mr. Hackett has yet to settle. In case I have not mentioned
it before, Mr. Hackett," and he turned towards the lawyer, "the old desk
with all its contents, excepting those bundles relating to business
matters, which you will take with you, belong to Dexie, here. There are
several unfinished manuscripts which you can easily finish yourself, Dexie,
and who knows but the beginning of your fame and fortune may be lying
there waiting for you in the old ink-stained desk. There, do not cry,
Dexie! It grieves me to see you fretting. You would not like to have your
poor father lying here suffering much longer, surely! Now, be my brave,
helpful little woman a little while longer, and help Mr. Hackett all you
can. I was speaking of the old desk, Dexie; do not part with it to anyone,
dear. Keep it as my last gift to you, and, if it ever needs repairing, have
it done under your own eyes. Do not forget this, Dexie."

Dexie winked away her tears, and bent over to arrange his pillows more
comfortably, saying:

"Do you want me to hunt up the papers now, papa? I will do so at once, if
Mr. Hackett will explain what they are about."

"He will help you, then you can get through more quickly. You had better
explain to my daughter, Mr. Hackett, about the amount of income there will
be in the future. She is the housekeeper here, though I expect she will not
remain in that position very long after I am gone. I am glad I purchased
this property when we first moved here. It is increasing in value every
year, and, if they should ever find it necessary, they can sell it and be
comfortable in a smaller place, but this will not be needful for some
years, if things are properly managed. There is another thing, Mr. Hackett,
which I wish you would see about for them. Look around and find a
respectable middle-aged couple that will be capable of giving the necessary
help about the house and grounds. The place needs a man around it to keep
it in order, and if his wife looked after the work in the house they would
give better satisfaction than single