m some comfort in the shape of a little tea and sugar.

The old man was sitting outside the cottage, smoking and moaning to
himself. He cheered up a bit at the sight of his visitor, still more at
the sight of the tea. But it was a short-lived gleam of comfort, and he
relapsed at the earliest opportunity into the doleful.

"Little good it'll do me," said he, "as have known this place, man and
boy, seventy-five years, Missy. Never a word did they say to me till
now. The old squire had allers his nod for Hodder, and when times was
bad he let the rent stand. And young Master Roger was of the same
sort."

"Oh, Roger is your friend still," said Rosalind; "he's doing everything
to help you."

"I don't mean _him_. He's good enough; but he's a boy. But young
Master Roger as was, he had a will of his own, Missy. Not one of 'em
durst stand up to him."

Rosalind became interested. "Do you mean the one who died?" said she.

"Ay, they say he died. They said as much and wrote it on the
tombstone."

"Do you mean that there was ever a doubt about it?" said the young lady
uncomfortably.

"They said he died, so he must have died," said old Hodder, sipping his
tea. "It was all talk to the likes of me. Young Master Roger wasn't of
the dying sort."

"He went abroad, I hear?" she asked.

"So they say. It's a score of years or more since. I tell 'ee, Missy,
young Master Roger wouldn't have stood by to see me turned out like
this; he'd have--"

Here there was a click at the gate and a long shadow fell on the
footpath. It was Mr Armstrong in his flannels. He looked somewhat
alarmed to find Miss Rosalind in possession. Still more to perceive
that she proposed to remain where she was. His impulse was to make a
feeble excuse and say he would call again. But his courage revived on
second thoughts.

"Ah, Hodder," said he, after saluting the young lady, "what's all this
about turning you out of your cottage! What a notion to get into your
head!"

"You may call it a notion, Mr Armstrong," said the old man, "but what
about this here piece of paper?" And he produced a blue legal document.

Mr Armstrong put up his eye-glass and read it, with a face which, as
Rosalind furtively glanced upwards, seemed inscrutable. When he had
finished he coolly put it in his pocket.

"I'll see to this," said he. "You choose the best time of day for a
walk, Miss Oliphant."

"Shall you really be able to settle this for Hodder?" re