d in, carelessly,
on my way down here this morning, and had an introduction to the
gentleman himself. Not knowin' what else to say to start conversation, I
asked him if he was a relative of Miss Graystone's, though of course I
knew better. I praised her up to the skies, and you had ought to have
seen his face, beaming with smiles. He seemed to take a sort of notion
to me after that. I 'spose, though, Mrs. Hardyng gave me a settin' out
as soon as my back was turned, by the one-sided smirk she gave when the
gentleman shook hands with me cordially when I came away, and thanked me
for being so good to his young friend. I see Ruth playing on the street
corner, and quizzed her. So putting this and that together, it seems
that this girl, that everybody called an upstart and an adventuress, has
been a rich lady once, and never known what it was to soil her hands
with work of any description."

"I knew it," said Mrs. Wynn; "I always said so. It shows my superior
penetration. I'm glad I stood her friend in the dark hour of adversity,
and shall hasten as soon as possible to learn the exact truth of all
these rumors."

"So you are here, Betsey?" exclaimed Mrs. Swan, putting her head in at
the door. "I thought I saw you go by, and followed as soon as I could
get my things on."

"Well, I never!" said Mrs. Wynn; "come in; you are just in time. Set by
and I'll put on another cup and saucer. We was just talking over the
new arrival in the village."

"I believe half the population are similarly employed," laughed the
little lady. "Every one I met stopped and spoke to me about it, and as
luck would have it, as I was turning down a cross street I saw Mrs.
Hardyng ahead of me and joined her at once. She told me the whole story.
This Mr. Vaughn is a rich gentleman, who has come down here to marry the
schoolmistress. It seems, too, that she's lately inherited some property
by the death of somebody, I couldn't make out who--some relative I
suppose--though it don't matter. Any ways, a cool fifty thousand has
fell to her, and I don't know as I could point out a more deservin'
person."

"Wonders will never cease!" exclaimed Mrs. Wynn, staring blankly, into
her empty tea cup. "Clemence Graystone turned out to be a rich heiress,
after bein' perfectly abused the whole live-long summer by everybody in
the town of Waveland but me. It's beyond my comprehension. But I always
knew she was a lady, and stuck to her through 'evil and good report.'"