The record-union., 1896-08-02

The young people were Dy tIlS tiiHe
coming up the steps leading from the
garden, and presently they entered the
room. Sister Anna came forward 10
speak to me, pink flush on her usually
pale cheek, a new light in her pretty
brown eyes. Laurence Moore stood De
hind her. an expression or supreme con-
tent on his handsome face, while Mrs
Power looked on, quiet and keen eyed.
l wondered if she were quite satlsiled
at the turn affairs seemed to De TAX
ing.
Sister Anna went over to her patient
and made some changes for the better
in the arrangement Of her wraps ana
cushions. She then seated herseit IN her
usual low chair ait the opposite size OF
the fire. After a few minutes more
talk l went away, Laurence Moore ac-'
companying me to the door with an
additional touch of empressement IN ms
always pleasant manner
.I wonder if he looks, on me in the
light of parent or guardian to be pro-
pitiated" 1 said to myself with some
amusement as I settled myself COM
fortably in my brougham. Il think l
shall refuse my consent-Whatever may
be it's value That girl is a capital
nurse, mucn 700 SCOu ~ De uioiiot'oiiNSN
by any ONE man..
About ten days later, on my next visit,
I was more pleased than surprised to
be introduced to Sister Anna in the
character of Mrs Powers future niece,
although | did mingle some selfish re-
grets with my congratulations.
oh said Sister Anna, laughing, Il
am not going to desert my post yet
80 fN., ~, ny,osl lcrly 1ay1t
for long time to come, and must not
be spoken of I think l can promise not
to let any thought of the future inter
fere with my work in the present, DR..
Moran. I will put Laurence out of my
head when once / enter a sick room. "
II am afraid it has to be long en-
gagement," said Mrs. Power. They
cannot think of marrying until Lau
renee is a manager, and even then it
would be wiser to wait until he has
saved something. You know mine is
but life income, so that beyond some
plate or an outfit of table linen L can
do nothing to help"
Sister Anna made it clear that she
did not mind waiting Then the con-
versation drifted to the subject of
former talk about artificial hearts made
OF llluld-TuDDeI, WIIcu were w dil dlilch,
according to Sister Anna, never to
ache"
Come, Anna; you cannot know much
about heartaches, at any rate"
Indeed, had many a one the time of
my uncle's DEATH" she answered. 81
do not know what I should have done
had I not been compelled to rouse my
self and work.
Did your uncle know you would
have to work?" asked Mrs. Power.
No; he thought that he had provided
for me- In fact, I am sure that he did
so; but the will could never be found,
so everything went to his brother
His brother But why did not you,
his niece, come in for your share?"
Don't you see, although I called him
uncle, I was only his wife's niece, and
in reality no relation whatever. My
aunt was living when I first came to
them, SO long ago that l can scarcely
remember it; but she died soon after,
and then my uncle and / took care of
each other. The old house was a pleas
ant place; 1T did not look like a farm
house, for there were trees about it and
am old orchard and garden. I took care
of the garden. l wanted to manage the
dairy, too, but uncle said the work
would be too heavy for me-we had a
good many cows-so there was regu-
lar dairymaid, who never allowed me
to interfere I found 1t hard to get
cream for uncle's tea sometimes; and
had to steal it when 1 wanted to make
d hot cake" she added, laughing.
"How did you employ yourself?"
asked Mrs. Power.
.'Oh. had the house to attend to. and
the poultry yard, as we'll as the garden.
And then l used to read a good deal:
uncle had quite a collection of books.
He had been buying them all his life,
chiefly secondhand ones. We used to
get catalogues of secondhand books
from the London dealers, and send for
those we fancied most. It was like put
ting into a lottery. I believe some of
the books were valuable. There was an
old copy of Master Humphreys Clock,
with pictures in it, that used to delight
me when I was a child: pictures of Nell,
and Quilp, and Dick Swiveller
used to think how nice it would be if
uncle and I could go wandering about
the world like Nell and her grand
father, having the farm to come back
to when we were tired, of course
The words his wife's niece had
somehow seemed familiar to me, but it
was not until the allusion to Master
Humphreys Clock" had supplied an
other link in the chain that there
flashed into my mind the remembrance
of the will hidden in the old copy at
home; Michael Darcy's will, with its
bequest to my wifes niece, Anastasia
Ffrench." I could hardly keep the ex-
element out of my voice as link after
link in the chain of evidence was sup
piled, in answer to my questions.
found that her real name was An
astaSa, now cut down to Anna
Ffrench; that her uncles name was Mi
chael Darcy, and his farm was known
as Carrignalea. In reply to my query
as to her reasons for believing that her
uncle had made a will in her favor, she
said:
After my poor uncle got the paraly-
tic stroke of which he died he made
several attempts to speak; and as far
as we could understand his words were
always about money, and about hav-
ing made it all right for Annie Be
sides, our old servant always declared
that about a week before his illness
he had called her and another woman,
who was accidentally in the house, into
the sitting-room and made them wit
ness a paper, which he said was a
will. When they had finished signing,
he said, half to himself: Now my
mind is at rest about Annie"
why did he not get the will prop
eriy drawn np nv a cOlicitOr2h