A suspicious glance was shot at the speaker, but his face bore such an
ingenuous look that the suggestion was dismissed. What could he know?

"They will get some one else," said the negro, quietly.

"Yes, but in these days it is not easy to get people one can trust. Mr.
Fern will not find any one to take your place in a moment. And just now,
when he evidently has a great deal of trouble on his mind, it will be
unpleasant to make a change."

Hannibal was completely deceived by the apparently honest character of
these observations. He could not resist the temptation to boast a
little, that peculiar trait of a menial.

"I know all about Mr. Fern's affairs," he agreed. "Both here and at the
house. He would not trust the next man as he has me."

Mr. Weil nodded wisely.

"I see, I see," he answered. "You know then what has annoyed him of
late--that which has puzzled all the rest of us so much. You know, but
having the knowledge in a sort of confidential capacity, you would, of
course, have no right to reveal it."

Hannibal straightened himself up in an exasperating way.

"You will not find what troubles Mr. Fern," he said, loftily. "And now,
may I ask _you_ something. Do you expect to marry his eldest daughter?"

An inclination to kick the fellow for his impudence came so strong upon
Mr. Weil that it required all of his powers to suppress the sentiment.
But through his indignation there struggled his old admiration for this
elegant physical specimen. He wished he could get a statue modeled from
him, before the original left the country.

"That is a delicate question," he managed to say.

"I know it," replied Hannibal. "But I have observed some things which
may have escaped you. Shall I tell you what I mean?"

Not at all easy under this strain, the curiosity of Mr. Weil was so
great that he could only reply in the affirmative.

"Miss Millicent," explained Hannibal, slowly, "is in love--very much in
love--with another person."

A stare that could not be concealed answered him.

"You have not seen anything to indicate it?" asked the negro. "I thought
as much. She has done her best to cover it, and yet I can swear it is
true. She _likes_ you, as a friend. But she _loves_ him, passionately."

He was in for it now and might as well follow this strange matter to the
end.

"Do I know this individual?" asked Archie.

"Yes. You brought him to the house and introduced him to her."

The man gave a slight cry, in s