Year: 1870

The changed faces of my townsmen, the
suspicion attaching 10 me- and the near
prospect of my ignominiously losing my
post, were hard to bear. But the deepen
ing conviction of Katie's guilt, and my
gradual decreasing love for her, were III
comparably harder. She did not fail to feel
the coldness and distrust of my manner,
and being girl of spirit she did not fail to
mark the change by a corresponding change
in herself. pondered over such questions
as these-how was the will made, and what
had she done with it? Had she DESTROYED
it? Or was it still i'll existence, to be dis
covered, perhaps, at some future day to
work just Judgment upon her? However
it might be, knew that my Katie was lost
to me forever; yet not for worlds would
throw upon her the burden of suspicion
which weighed so heavily upon me.


The last day of the year came. There
had been q semi-official letter in the morn
ing from Mr.. Talbot, intimating that the
people of Thornbury were dissatisfied at
my retaining al important and confidential
place in the Postoffice, and that their COM
plants were about to be noticed from head
quarters. My father only partially recoy-
cred, was very low, and my mother and sis
ters cried at intervals during the day. l
found myself as usual, IN the office about
the same hour in the evening as when old
Lawrence's will was brought in and laid
before me on the counter, just as l had fin
ished and folded up the quarterly money
order account. Another quarter was ended,
and l said, with some bitterness of tone,
that there could be no objection to me
making up the account once again" The
forms upon which they were drawn ont
were kept in small drawer in the counter,
and found them packed rather tightly,
having evidently been pushed in. in some
haste and confusion. The drawer would
open with sharp jerk, and as I gave it,
heard sound Of something falling behind,
while the drawer came out in my hand.
stopped to look what had fallen, and-you
will have guessed already-there lay old
Lawrence's will, looking precisely as it had
done when it lay on the counter before me,
directed to "R. Grey, Esq, Mitre Build
ings, The Temple, London"


gave great shout which made my faith
er spring up from his desk, and 1 fell down
on my knees before the empty space where
the drawer had been, scarcely able to stretch
out my hand to touch the will. How it
had got thele was plain enough to me. ]
had left it lying amongst the forms, which
were not unlike it in shape and size and
the clerks coming into their hurried ana
unaccustomed work, had cleared the cour
ter after summary fashion, sweeping them
all away together into the drawer beneath.
which was used for no other purpose, and
never opened, except ON the last DAYS oi
March, June, September, and December.
1t had been lying there all the while, undc:
my hand score of timesa day, while had
been suffering one of the bitterest conflicts
a man can suffer for it.


When I looked around, with the will in
my trembling hand, there stood my fathel.
and the two clerks from the outer Office
who had rushed in on hearing my shout
while through the door which they had left
open, lucky unit of the public surveyed
the scene.


"Old Lawrence's will 10 I gasped, and
the unit Immediately darted into the streets
to proclaim the discovery.


Almost before could recover my voice.
which sounded choked and unnatural in nv
own ears, or had risen from knees and pick
ed up the fallen drawer, the outer office was
invaded bya crowd of excited and anxious
inquirers, some of whom pressed into our
sanctum, and began shaking hands with me
in that frenzy of goodwill and congratula
tion which now and then breaks out among
the sympathizing public.


Old Lawrence's relatives were not long
behind their sowns-people !: they came in
agitated numbers, Katie and her father