ar Amos," said his father, "what can have induced you to sell
Prince? Surely you are imposing too great a burden on yourself. I
remember now that I have not seen you riding lately. I am very sorry
that you should have thought of such a thing. Why didn't you come to
me?"

"My dear father," said Amos earnestly, and with a bright smile, "you
have quite enough to do with your time and money just now, so I have not
troubled you about the matter. I have a little scheme of my own which
is a bit of a secret, and it needs a little self-denial to carry it out.
I want the money more than I want Prince just now. I have found a
capital master for him, who will treat him kindly; and by-and-by I shall
be able to get him back again, perhaps. At any rate, will you be
content to trust me in the matter, dear father?"

"Trust you, my dear boy!" exclaimed the squire; "indeed I ought, and
will, for you thoroughly deserve my trust; only it grieves me to think
that you should have parted with your favourite pony."

"Oh, never mind that, father," replied Amos cheerily, "it will be all
right. Thank you so much for your kind confidence; what I have done
will do me no harm."

The conversation then passed on to other subjects, but Walter was
clearly a little uneasy in his mind. "Amos," he cried, when his father
had left the breakfast-table for a few minutes to speak to a tenant who
wanted an early word with him, "are you going into business soon?"

"Business, Walter! Not that I know of. What sort of business do you
mean?"

"Oh, into the butter, cheese, and bacon line."

"I don't understand you."

"Don't you? Well, it seems to me that sundry pounds of butter which
have not spread themselves lately on your bread or toast, as they ought
to have done, are intended to turn up somewhere one of these days."

The effect of this little speech on Amos was manifestly very
disconcerting; he turned red, looked confused, then with knitted brows
gazed at the window. Walter, sorry to have given him pain, was just
about to make some further remark, when his eyes fell on the hands of
Miss Huntingdon, which were crossed on the table. Nodding his head
profoundly towards his aunt, he dashed off at once into another subject,
and his brother soon recovered his equanimity.

That afternoon, Walter, with his sister leaning on his arm, came and
seated himself by his aunt, who had taken her needlework to the summer-
house. Amos did not join them, be