, and
that night slept soundly enough, never once giving a thought to the
documents in the old mill, which had suddenly turned him from a
penniless lad into one with a few thousands to start in life when he
came of age.

CHAPTER THIRTY NINE.

That next morning when Tom jumped out of bed, he felt light-hearted, and
ready for anything. He threw open his window to have a look round, and
knew by a low whistling that David had come to work. Then reaching out
to have a look at the mill, with his head full of telescope, he stared,
for the door was open; and excited by this, and fearing something was
wrong, he hurriedly dressed, went down, and found that it only wanted a
quarter to eight.

"And I thought it was only about half-past six," he muttered, as he
hurried out and across to the mill.

All was still there, and he looked round, but nothing appeared to have
been disturbed; but upon looking up he could see the keys were in the
laboratory door, and he paused with his heart beating.

"Pooh!" he muttered to himself, as he drove away the hesitation.
"Nobody would be there now."

He went up the stairs, though softly, as if in doubt, and looked through
the ajar door, to see that which made him steal softly down again, for,
with a black bag on the front of the old bureau, Uncle Richard was
busily writing, evidently getting some business done before he went off
to town.

"Morning, Tom," he said a quarter of an hour later, as he entered the
breakfast-room, black bag in hand; "you needn't have crept down again, I
was only doing a little business before breakfast."

"Then you heard me, uncle?"

"To be sure I did, my lad.--Morning, Mrs Fidler."

"Good-morning, sir," said the housekeeper; "and--and I sincerely hope
you will find your poor brother better when you get up to town."

Uncle Richard bowed his head, and the housekeeper went on--

"Don't you think, sir, if it could anyhow be managed, you ought to try
and get him down here again? You know how much better he grew while he
was here."

"Yes," said Uncle Richard quietly, as he went on with his breakfast.

"And though I'm not clever as a nurse, you know, sir, I'd do anything I
could to make him well."

"I do know it, Mrs Fidler," said Uncle Richard warmly; "but," he added,
with his face growing more grave, "he will not come down here again."

Mrs Fidler sighed, and Tom kept his eyes fixed upon his coffee-cup.

The breakfast passed off very silently, and a