"I don't think anything particular. Oh, yes, he said May had never said anything to him of her intention of leaving home. No, I think we may leave him out of the question; now what I want to ask you is, is there no one else, do you think, likely? Is there any young farmer about here, or even in a lower class?" "May never would look at them." "That's what her father said, but one never can tell." "I don't believe it," answered Henderson, roughly. "No, if it's anyone, it's this Temple! He's a sly, quiet fellow, with a sneer on his face always, and if he's done any harm to May he had best look to himself. He came between her and me, I know; and he'll rue the day, I swear it on my soul, if he's done any wrong to the girl." "My dear Mr. Henderson, this is folly," began Mrs. Churchill. But with a suppressed oath Henderson broke away from her, leaving Mrs. Churchill not a little alarmed at the wild recklessness of his whole manner and bearing. And when she told her husband of his visit he was not over-well pleased. "It will never do, you know, Sarah, for this young fellow to go raving about the country side, talking of May and Mr. John Temple. We must remember the squire is my landlord, and that Mr. Temple will be, and I'm told Henderson has been drinking heavily lately, and has never been the same since that poor girl's death. My opinion is we will hear of May some day soon, and that she's gone off in a huff and taken some situation or other, not with any young man or lover at all." And Mrs. Churchill saw the prudence of her husband's advice, and talked no more of May's probable lovers. Henderson, on the contrary, rode home with every nerve in his body tingling, and his brain surging with rage. His life, in fact, had become utterly unendurable to him; his position with his groom, Reid, and now the loss of May Churchill seemed actually to madden him. And the very day after he had seen Mrs. Churchill he met John Temple riding along the road. It was to this meeting that John had alluded in his letter to May, and there was something in the dark, lowering look of hate on Henderson's face, as he passed, that John was not likely quickly to forget. CHAPTER XXI. MISS WEBSTER'S HINT. Though Miss Webster had acceded to May's request, and addressed her letter to John Temple, she did not entirely forget the incident. In fact, it remained on her mind, and she began to believe there was something much more serious between John and May than mere cousinship. May's manner, too, had been very serious when she had said that some day she would know there was nothing wrong between herself and John. Miss Webster, in fact, began to believe that there was a secret engagement between them, and this belief disturbed her, because she was getting anxious about her nephew, Ralph Webster.