In the middle of the day father came back. That was quite unexpected. He always took his dinner with him, and ate it at the works. Grannie used to put it up for him nicely in a piece of paper, with a clean red handkerchief outside. Sometimes it was only bread and cheese, but more often she managed for him to have a slice of cold meat too. This Monday, instead of staying away as usual, he came home. Our first thought was that he must be ill; but he was walking fast and looking quite red in the face, so it did not seem like illness. Then we fancied that perhaps he had got into trouble and been turned off; but no, he looked too pleased. I had never seen father look so pleased and delighted before. He came hurrying up to us, as we waited at the cottage door, for mother had called us all together in a fright, to see what was wrong, the moment she caught sight of father walking along the road. He hurried up, as I say, and seized Asaph, and gave him a sort of twirl round, like a man in such spirits that he scarce knew what to do with himself. And then he said— "Guess what's happened?" "I know," mother said. "You are going to have higher wages." Father chuckled, and said, "No." "It's a half-holiday at the works," said grannie. "No, it isn't. I got leave to run round for five minutes, that's all." "Then what has happened?" cried mother, and we all chimed in. Grannie was the quietest, and I think she looked a little anxious. "You want to know, don't you?" says father, chucking Asaph under the chin; "don't you?" and he chucked me too. "Well, I'll tell you. I'm to have five thousand pounds!" Grannie looked as if she fancied him gone mad. Mother shrieked and clapped her hands, and Asaph copied her. "Five thousand pounds!" father said again. "Who's given it to you, my dear?" asked grannie. "Nobody. It's left to me in a will. Old Andrew Morison is dead, and he has been storing up his money for years, and he quarrelled with his son just at last, and willed it all away to me. Think of that! Five thousand pounds, Sue! Think of that! Five thousand pounds, mother!" "It's the temptation," said grannie very low, and I heard her sigh. "It's just lovely," cried mother. "Why, I can have a silk dress." "Six, if you like," said father. "And Phœbe, too." I don't know what I said. I felt all in a maze. "Miles," said grannie, in a trembling voice, and she laid her hand on his arm. "It's a solemn charge for you. Don't you think we ought just to kneel down, and thank God, and ask Him to teach us how to spend it? It'll do us no manner of good without His blessing alongside." "So you can, mother," said he, all in a hurry, giving her a kiss. "So you can. I'm due back at the works, and mustn't wait. We'll talk it over in the evening, by-and-by. And Sue shall have her silk dress as soon as ever she likes. It makes a man feel all dazed to think of! Five thousand pounds!"