The result was that she found herself charged two cents a pound extra on sugar, five cents on butter, three cents on cheese, five cents each on tea and coffee, and so on. Besides she found that excessive quantities of each had been bought, more than three persons could possibly have consumed. What became of the surplus, unless it was thrown away, she could not possibly divine. Of course the housekeeper’s commission increased with increased sales. The real explanation, however, was that Mrs. Mercer had a widowed sister living in the next town. She often called on Mrs. Mercer, and never went away without a liberal supply of groceries, taken from the private stores of Mrs. Granville. This the old lady did not learn till afterwards. If Mrs. Mercer had known in what way her mistress and Paul were engaged, she would have quaked with apprehension, but of this she had no suspicions. The next afternoon Mrs. Granville drove over once more to Mr. Talbot’s store, and asked for a private interview with him. “Certainly, ma’am,” said the unsuspecting grocer, obsequiously. “Why is it, Mr. Talbot,” asked the old lady, coming straight to the point, “that you charge me higher prices than you do to your other customers?” “What makes you think I do?” stammered the grocer. “I’ll tell you. Yesterday I was present when some of your customers were buying butter, sugar, and other articles. I noted the prices, and then went home and examined my bills. I find you charge me from two to five cents a pound more than to others. Tell me frankly why this is, and I may overlook it.” “I don’t make any more profit out of you than out of them,” said the grocer. “But how is this--you charge me more?” “The extra charge does not go into my pocket.” “I suspected as much. Into whose then?” “If I must tell you, it is Mrs. Mercer’s. It is the only condition on which she gives me your trade.” “Thank you; it is right that I should know.” “Shall you speak to Mrs. Mercer about this when you get home?” asked Paul, as they were driving homeward. “Not immediately. I want to observe her a little more. It is a shock to find that one to whom I have been kind for so many years has deceived me so basely.” Meanwhile Mrs. Mercer, who was becoming more and more jealous of Paul, was arranging a scheme to injure him with Mrs. Granville. CHAPTER XXXIV. A PLOT AGAINST PAUL. The housekeeper and her son had seen, with increasing alarm, the growing attachment of Mrs. Granville for Paul. “Something’s got to be done, Frost,” she said, decidedly. “That boy is setting the old woman against us.” “That’s so, mother; she never wants me to go with her now. I might as well be out of the house, so far as any notice of me goes.” “She’s mighty cool to me, too, Frost. I suspected how it would be when that boy came into the house. He’s the artfulest young one I ever knew.” “The two of us ought to be a match for him,” grumbled Frost. “I’ll give him a lickin’ if you say so.”