after the funeral, and till the will should have been read,
everything about Llanfeare must be done by her and in obedience to
her orders. This necessity of action,--of action which in her present
condition of mind did not seem clear to her,--was not at all easy.

The doctor was good to her, and gave her some instruction before he
left her. "Shall I give the keys to my cousin?" she said to him. But
even as she said this there was the doubt on her mind what those last
words of her uncle had been intended to mean. Though her grief was
very bitter, though her sorrow was quite sincere, she could not keep
herself from thinking of those words. It was not that she was anxious
to get the estate for herself. It was hardly in that way that the
matter in these moments presented itself to her. Did the meaning of
those words impose on her any duty? Would it be right that she should
speak of them, or be silent? Ought she to suppose that they had any
meaning, and if so, that they referred to the will?

"I think that you should keep the keys till after the will has been
read," said the doctor.

"Even though he should ask for them?"

"Even though he should ask for them," said the doctor. "He will not
press such a request if you tell him that I say it ought to be so. If
there be any difficulty, send for Mr Apjohn."

Mr Apjohn was the lawyer; but there had been quite lately some
disagreement between her uncle and Mr Apjohn, and this advice was not
palatable to her.

"But," continued Dr Powell, "you will not find any difficulty of that
kind. The funeral had better be on Monday. And the will, I suppose,
can be read afterwards. Mr Apjohn will come out and read it. There
can be no difficulty about that. I know that Mr Apjohn's feelings are
of the kindest towards your uncle and yourself."

Mr Apjohn had taken upon himself to "scold" her uncle because of the
altered will,--the will that had been altered in favour of Cousin
Henry. So much the old man had said to Isabel himself. "If I think
it proper, he has no right to scold me," the old man had said. The
"scolding" had probably been in the guise of that advice which a
lawyer so often feels himself justified in giving.

Isabel thought that she had better keep those words to herself, at
any rate for the present. She almost resolved that she would keep
those words altogether to herself, unless other facts should come out
which would explain their meaning and testify to their truths. She