\"stop a minute, measter.\" then going up confidentially close, he said, \"isth\" young gentleman cleared?\" he enforced the depth of his intelligenceby a wink of the eye, which only made things more mysterious to mr.

thornton.

\"th\" young gentleman, i mean--master frederick, they ca\"ad him--herbrother as was over here, yo\" known.\"

\"over here.\"

\"ay, to be sure, at th\" missus\"s death. yo\" need na be feared of mytelling; for mary and me, we knowed it all along, only we held ourpeace, for we got it through mary working. in th\" house.\"

\"and he was over. it was her brother!\"

\"sure enough, and i reckoned yo\" knowed it or i\"d never ha\" let on. yo\"

knowed she had a brother?\"

\"yes, i know all about him. and he was over at mrs. hale\"s death?\"

\"nay! i\"m not going for to tell more. i\"ve maybe getten them intomischief already, for they kept it very close. i nobbut wanted to know ifthey\"d getten him cleared?\"

\"not that i know of. i know nothing. i only hear of miss hale, now, asmy landlord, and through her lawyer.\"

he broke off from higgins, to follow the business on which he had beenbent when the latter first accosted him; leāving higgins baffled in hisendeāvour.

\"it was her brother,\" said mr. thornton to himself. \"i am glad. i maynever see her again; but it is a fort--a relief--to know that much. iknew she could not be unmaidenly; and yet i yearned for conviction.

now i am glad!\"

it was a little golden thread running through the dark web of his presentfortunes; which were growing ever gloomier and more gloomy. hisagent had largely trusted a house in the american trade, which wentdown, along with several others, just at this time, like a pack of cards,the fall of one pelling other failures. what were mr. thornton\"sengagements? could he stand?

、.@xt`$

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