little Miss Cunningham. She's
been rather lonely these last two days.'

There was a tone of reproach in his voice, and Sarah answered quickly,
'I've been too miserable and worried to talk to any one.'

'I'm afraid the pater will be in a terrific rage about it,' replied
George; and, having made his reproach, did not recur to it.

'Will be in a rage? What do you mean? He has been in a rage ever since it
happened. He ought to be cooling down by now; but I don't suppose he'll
do that till he's got them all in prison,' replied Sarah.

'Then you don't know?' inquired George.

'Know what? Have they been tried and let off? It's too bad of Uncle
Howroyd not to tell me, and I wanted so to know,' cried Sarah.

'They can't get a case against them. No one will give evidence, not even
the head-gardener; he says he didn't see how the fire began, and it might
have been burning weeds that caused it,' said George.

Sarah laughed. 'I am glad!' she exclaimed in a tone of delight.

'I'm not. It's a very disgraceful thing that a man's property should be
destroyed and no one punished,' said George, with unwonted sternness.

'But father said he'd prosecute them all for trespassing,' observed
Sarah.

'You'll be glad to hear that he has been told that no magistrate would
convict; it's something about a right of way,' said George.

'George, I am sorry they did it; but I do think he has provoked them, and
he is hard to his workpeople,' said Sarah.

'I know; but this isn't the way to make him better. In fact, I am afraid
they've enraged him so that goodness only knows what will be the end of
it,' said George gloomily.

'I suppose you'd mind dreadfully if we did lose all our money?' suggested
she.

'Of course I should; and so would you, whatever nonsense you may talk to
the contrary!' cried George testily. 'And it's to do what I can to smooth
matters down and prevent any such catastrophe that I have hurried home.
Not that I can do much good,' he wound up.

'Oh George, it would be jolly to live in a little cottage, and do as one
liked, and dress as one liked, and not have to sit for hours over long,
stupid meals, and have to walk half a mile from your bedroom to the
dining-room!' cried Sarah.

'You'd be a nice one in a cottage! You'd want the whole of it to yourself
to begin with; and as for doing what you like, you would not be able to
do that if you were poor any more than, or nearly as much as, if you were
rich. You'd have to k