a little
more, in fact nearly five hundred. If you tell me that I can have the
cottage, I will come down at once, for town is very dreary and we have
been here all summer except a week at Margate. Let me thank you again,
you have been so very kind, and believe me, my dear sir, very sincerely
yours,

"MARY GODDARD."

* * * * *

"Augustin, my dear, this is very exciting," said Mrs. Ambrose, as she
handed the cheque to her husband for inspection and returned the
letter to its envelope, preparatory to marking it for future reference;
and when, as has been said, she had written upon the outside the
words--Goddard, Cottage, and had put it away she turned upon her husband
with an inquiring manner peculiar to her. Mr. Ambrose was standing before
the window, looking out at the rain and occasionally glancing at the
cheque he still held in his hand.

"Just like a woman to send a cheque to 'bearer' through the post," he
remarked, severely. "However since I have got it, it is all right."

"I don't think it is all right, Augustin," said his wife. "We are taking
a great responsibility in bringing her into the parish. I am quite sure
she is a dissenter or a Romanist or something dreadful, to begin with."

"My dear," answered the vicar, mildly, "you make very uncharitable
suppositions. It seems to me that the most one can say of her is that she
is very unhappy and that she does not write very good English."

"Oh, I have no doubt she is very unhappy. But as you say we must not be
uncharitable. I suppose you will have to write about the cottage."

"I suppose so," said Mr. Ambrose doubtfully. "I cannot send her back the
money, and the cottage is certainly to let."

He deposited the cheque in the drawer of his writing-table and began to
walk up and down the room, glancing up from time to time at his wife who
was lifting one after another the ornaments which stood upon the
chimney-piece, in order to ascertain whether Susan had dusted underneath
them. She had many ways of assuring herself that people did their work
properly.

"No," said she, "you cannot send her back the money. But it is a very
solemn responsibility. I hope we are doing quite right."

"I certainly would not hesitate to return the cheque, my dear, if I
thought any harm would come of Mrs. Goddard's living here. But I don't
think there is any reason to doubt her story."

"Of course not. It was in the _Standard_, so there is no doubt