er place usurped
awakened Sarah to the knowledge that she had a place to fill in her
home, and that she was not filling it.

The next day Mr Clay went down to his mills as usual, and no word had
been said about the events of the day before; but Sarah was not deceived.
Her father, she was sure, was planning his revenge, and sooner or later
he would, as he had said, clap his enemies into prison.

Naomi could give her no information on the subject, and Mr Howroyd
refused point-blank to discuss the matter. 'You'll hear all there is to
hear in time; but it may come before me to be heard, and I can't discuss
it with you or any one else.'

The next morning came a very polite letter from Lady Cunningham to Mrs
Clay, thanking her for all her kindness to Horatia, and begging that she
might return in time to pay a visit to some relatives, who desired that
she might accompany her parents, as she was a great favourite.

'I don't wonder at that, my dearie; you'd be welcome anywhere, with your
bonny bright face,' said Mrs Clay.

'I sha'n't let you go unless you promise to come again soon,' said Mr
Clay, with a heavy attempt at humour.

'Oh, but I am coming! I've enjoyed myself immensely,' cried Horatia
willingly.--'Good-bye, Sarah. I shall be so glad to see you back at
school. We shall be friends again then as we used to be, sha'n't we?'

'I don't feel as if anything were going to be as it used to be,' said
Sarah; but she kissed Horatia very affectionately when they parted.

'I believe it's your doing that mamma sent for us, Nanny,' said Horatia
when the two were in the train.

'And if it was, I'm not a bit ashamed of it,' said Nancy stoutly, 'for I
couldn't have stayed another night there, starting and trembling at every
sound, and dreaming shocking dreams of being burnt alive in my bed.'

'It's awfully selfish of us to come away and let them be burnt alive in
their beds, if you think it's at all likely,' remarked Horatia.

'Then I'll have to be selfish, for I don't consider it's any part of my
duty to stop and be burnt with them, which it's their own fault in a way,
for they do say that Mr Clay's made himself fairly hated by his ways.'

'I don't hate him,' observed Horatia.

'No, miss, so I saw; but however you put up with him and his common ways,
let alone his hasty temper, I can't make out. Well, we've seen the last
of them, thank goodness! so I'll say nothing against them,' remarked Mrs
Nancy with satisfaction.

'