d. No other word, I mean,
upon that point; though still I had to ask, upon matters more immediate,
what was the next thing for me, perhaps, to do. And first of all it was
settled among us that for me to present myself at the head-quarters of
Vypau, Goad, and Terryer would be a very clumsy and stupid proceeding,
and perhaps even dangerous. Of course they would not reveal to me the
author of those kind inquiries about myself, which perhaps had cost the
firm a very valuable life, the life of Mr. Goad himself. And while I
should learn less than nothing from them, they would most easily extract
from me, or at any rate find out afterward, where I was living, and
what I was doing, and how I could most quietly be met and baffled, and
perhaps even made away with, so as to save all further trouble.

Neither was that the only point upon which I resolved to do nothing.
Herr Strouss was a very simple-minded man, yet full of true sagacity,
and he warmly advised, in his very worst English, that none but my few
trusty friends should be told of my visit to this country.

"Why for make to know your enemies?" he asked, with one finger on his
forehead, which was his mode of indicating caution. "Enemies find out
vere soon, too soon, soon enough. Begin to plot--no, no, young lady
begin first. Vilhelmina, your man say the right. Is it good, or is it
bad?"

It appeared to us both to be good, so far as might be judged for the
present; and therefore I made up my mind to abstain from calling even on
my father's agent, unless Mr. Shovelin should think it needful. In that
and other matters I would act by his advice; and so with better spirits
than I long had owned, at finding so much kindness, and with good hopes
of the morrow, I went to the snug little bedroom which my good nurse had
provided.

Alas! What was my little grief on the morrow, compared to the deep and
abiding loss of many by a good man's death? When I went to the door at
which I had been told to knock, it was long before I got an answer. And
even when somebody came at last, so far from being my guardian, it was
only a poor old clerk, who said, "Hush, miss!" and then prayed that the
will of the Lord might be done. "Couldn't you see the half-shutters
up?" he continued, rather roughly. "'Tis a bad job for many a poor man
to-day. And it seems no more than yesterday I was carrying him about!"

"Do you mean Mr. Shovelin?" I asked. "Is he poorly? Has any thing
happened? I can wait, or c