equent, may cause inquiries, and I shall
not know what to say."

"Well, then, I'll finish my story this morning, Miss Valerie. The next
day, old Roberts continued: `It was about three months after Sir
Alexander's death, when her brother, the new baronet, came down to
Culverwood Hall, that Miss Barbara made her appearance again as Lady
R--. Your grandmother was just buried, and poor Green had not been dead
more than a month. Your aunt, who was much afflicted at the loss of her
husband, and was of course very grave and serious, began to agree with
me that it would be very wicked of us, knowing whose child it was, to
keep the secret. Moreover, you aunt had become very fond of the infant,
for it in a manner consoled her for the loss of her husband. Lady R--
came to the cottage to see us, and we then both told her that we did not
like to keep secret the child's parentage, as it was doing a great
injustice, if injustice had not been done already. Lady R--was very
much frightened at what we said, and begged very hard that we would not
expose her. She would be ruined, she said, in the opinion of her
husband, and also of her own relations. She begged and prayed so hard,
and made a solemn promise to us, that she would do justice to the child
as soon as she could with prudence, that she overcame our scruples, and
we agreed to say nothing at present. She also put a bank-note for 50
pounds into my daughter's hands to defray expenses and pay for trouble,
and told her that the same amount would be paid every year until the
child was taken away.

"`I believe this did more to satisfy our scruples than anything else.
It ought not to have done so, but we were poor, and money is a great
temptation. At all events, we were satisfied with Lady R--'s promise,
and with her liberality; and from that time till the child was seven
years old we received the money, and had charge of the boy. He was then
taken away and sent to school, but where we did not know for some time.
Lady R--was still very liberal to us, always stating her intention of
acknowledging the child to be her nephew. At last my daughter was
summoned to London, and sent to the school for the boy; Lady R--stating
it to be her intention of keeping him at her own house, now that her
husband was dead. This rejoiced us very much; but we had no idea that
it was as a servant that he was to be employed, as your aunt afterwards
found out, when she went up to London and called un