they would," said Isabel. "I know the people. Shall I go and
ask them?"

"Thank you, my dear. One word more before you go. About the sealing of
that letter? What _could_ you have been thinking of while you were doing
it?" He looked hard at her, and took her suddenly by the arm. "Was it
your sweetheart?" he asked, in a whisper.

The question instantly reminded Isabel that she had been thinking of
Hardyman while she sealed the letter. She blushed as the remembrance
crossed her mind. Robert, noticing the embarrassment, spoke sharply to
Old Sharon. "You have no right to put such a question to a young lady,"
he said. "Be a little more careful for the future."

"There! there! don't be hard on me," pleaded the old rogue. "An ugly old
man like me may make his innocent little joke--eh, miss? I'm sure you're
too sweet-tempered to be angry when I meant no offense.. Show me that
you bear no malice. Go, like a forgiving young angel, and ask for the
milk."

Nobody appealed to Isabel's sweetness of temper in vain. "I will do it
with pleasure," she said--and hastened away to the farmhouse.

CHAPTER XIV.

THE instant Isabel was out of hearing, Old Sharon slapped Moody on the
shoulder to rouse his attention. "I've got her out of the way," he said,
"now listen to me. My business with the young angel is done--I may go
back to London."

Moody looked at him with astonishment.

"Lord! how little you know of thieves!" exclaimed Old Sharon. "Why, man
alive, I have tried her with two plain tests! If you wanted a proof of
her innocence, there it was, as plain as the nose in your face. Did you
hear me ask her how she came to seal the letter--just when her mind was
running on something else?"

"I heard you," said Moody.

"Did you see how she started and stared at me?"

"I did."

"Well, I can tell you this--if she _had_ stolen the money she would
neither have started nor stared. She would have had her answer ready
beforehand in her own mind, in case of accidents. There's only one
thing in my experience that you can never do with a thief, when a thief
happens to be a woman--you can never take her by surprise. Put that
remark by in your mind; one day you may find a use for remembering it.
Did you see her blush, and look quite hurt in her feelings, pretty dear,
when I asked about her sweetheart? Do you think a thief, in her place,
would have shown such a face as that? Not she! The thief would have been
relieved. The thief would ha