over his own helplessness.

'What did you wish to know next, Misses Brown?'

'What became of Master? Where did he go?' she inquired, still holding
him tight, and looking close into his face, with her sharp eyes.

'Upon my soul, I don't know, Misses Brown,' answered Rob.

'Upon my soul I don't know what he did, nor where he went, nor anything
about him I only know what he said to me as a caution to hold my tongue,
when we parted; and I tell you this, Misses Brown, as a friend, that
sooner than ever repeat a word of what we're saying now, you had better
take and shoot yourself, or shut yourself up in this house, and set it
a-fire, for there's nothing he wouldn't do, to be revenged upon you.
You don't know him half as well as I do, Misses Brown. You're never safe
from him, I tell you.'

'Haven't I taken an oath,' retorted the old woman, 'and won't I keep
it?'

'Well, I'm sure I hope you will, Misses Brown,' returned Rob, somewhat
doubtfully, and not without a latent threatening in his manner. 'For
your own sake, quite as much as mine.'

He looked at her as he gave her this friendly caution, and emphasized
it with a nodding of his head; but finding it uncomfortable to encounter
the yellow face with its grotesque action, and the ferret eyes with
their keen old wintry gaze, so close to his own, he looked down uneasily
and sat skulking in his chair, as if he were trying to bring hImself
to a sullen declaration that he would answer no more questions. The old
woman, still holding him as before, took this opportunity of raising the
forefinger of her right hand, in the air, as a stealthy signal to the
concealed observer to give particular attention to what was about to
follow.

'Rob,' she said, in her most coaxing tone.

'Good gracious, Misses Brown, what's the matter now?' returned the
exasperated Grinder.

'Rob! where did the lady and Master appoint to meet?'

Rob shuffled more and more, and looked up and looked down, and bit
his thumb, and dried it on his waistcoat, and finally said, eyeing his
tormentor askance, 'How should I know, Misses Brown?'

The old woman held up her finger again, as before, and replying, 'Come,
lad! It's no use leading me to that, and there leaving me. I want to
know' waited for his answer. Rob, after a discomfited pause, suddenly
broke out with, 'How can I pronounce the names of foreign places, Mrs
Brown? What an unreasonable woman you are!'

'But you have heard it said, Robby,' she ret