even now, a friend of Mrs. Moulder, ready to
bestow herself and her fortune on John Kenneby,--a larger fortune
than Miriam had possessed, and one which would not now probably be
neutralised by so large a family as poor Miriam had bestowed upon her
husband.

How would Miriam meet him? It was of this he thought, as he
approached the door. Of course he must call her Mrs. Dockwrath,
though the other name was so often on his tongue. He had made up
his mind, for the last week past, that he would call at the private
door of the house, passing by the door of the office. Otherwise
the chances were that he would not see Miriam at all. His enemy,
Dockwrath, would be sure to keep him from her presence. Dockwrath had
ever been inordinately jealous. But when he came to the office-door
he hardly had the courage to pass on to that of the private dwelling.
His heart beat too quickly, and the idea of seeing Miriam was almost
too much for him. But, nevertheless, he did carry out his plan, and
did knock at the door of the house.

And it was opened by Miriam herself. He knew her instantly in spite
of all the change. He knew her, but the whole course of his feelings
were altered at the moment, and his blood was made to run the other
way. And she knew him too. "La, John," she said, "who'd have thought
of seeing you?" And she shifted the baby whom she carried from one
arm to the other as she gave him her hand in token of welcome.

"It is a long time since we met," he said. He felt hardly any
temptation now to call her Miriam. Indeed it would have seemed
altogether in opposition to the common order of things to do so. She
was no longer Miriam, but the maternal Dockwrath;--the mother of that
long string of dirty children whom he saw gathered in the passage
behind her. He had known as a fact that she had all the children, but
the fact had not made the proper impression on his mind till he had
seen them.

"A long time! 'Deed then it is. Why we've hardly seen each other
since you used to be a courting of me; have we? But, my! John; why
haven't you got a wife for yourself these many years? But come in.
I'm glad to see every bit of you, so I am; though I've hardly a place
to put you to sit down in." And then she opened a door and took him
into a little sitting-room on the left-hand side of the passage.

His feeling of intense enmity to Dockwrath was beginning to wear
away, and one of modified friendship for the whole family was
supervening. It