s after you told me
not to do anything on the sly."

"When were they opened? Tell me the truth, Jane."

"Mother opened them the first day you left us alone. I told her you
wouldn't like it, but she said she was housekeeper; she said how it was
her duty to inspect everything. I wanted to inspect, too. We was jes'
rummagin'--that's what it was. After the things were all pulled out,
mother got the rocker and wouldn't do anything. It was gettin' late,
and I was frightened and poked 'em back in a hurry. Mother wanted to
rummage ag'in the other day and I wouldn't let her; then, she wouldn't
let me have the keys so I could fix 'em up."

"But the keys were in my pocket, Jane."

"Mother has a lot of keys. I've told you jes' how it all was."

"Nothing was taken away?"

"No. Mother aint got sense, but she never takes things. I nuther
'cept when I'm hungry. Never took anything here. Say, are you goin' to
send us away?'

"I fear I shall have to, Jane. I'm sorry for you, for I believe you
would try to do the best you could if given a chance, and I can see you
never had a chance."

"No," said the child, blinking hard to keep the tears out of her eyes.
"I aint had no teachin'. I've jes' kinder growed along with the farm
hands and rough boys. Them that didn't hate me teased me. Say,
couldn't I stay in your barn and sleep in the hay?"

Holcroft was sorely perplexed and pushed away his half-eaten supper.
He knew himself what it was to be friendless and lonely, and his heart
softened toward this worse than motherless child.

"Jane," he said kindly, "I'm just as sorry for you as I can be, but you
don't know the difficulties in the way of what you wish, and I fear I
can't make you understand them. Indeed, it would not be best to tell
you all of them. If I could keep you at all, you should stay in the
house, and I'd be kind to you, but it can't be. I may not stay here
myself. My future course is very uncertain. There's no use of my
trying to go on as I have. Perhaps some day I can do something for
you, and if I can, I will. I will pay your mother her three months'
wages in full in the morning, and then I want you both to get your
things into your trunk, and I'll take you to your Cousin Lemuel's."

Driven almost to desperation, Jane suggested the only scheme she could
think of. "If you stayed here and I run away and came back, wouldn't
you keep me? I'd work all day and all night jes' for the sake of
stayin'.