"Yes," she said, a little frightened by his look. "It was most carefully put in every case, Manfred." The knocking had stopped now, as if the person outside expected the door to open. Husband and wife went forward. "Who can it be?" said Mrs. Hegner uneasily. And then her question was answered. The voice was clear and silvery. "It's Miss Haworth! Can I come in and speak to you a moment, Mr. Hegner, or has the meeting already begun?" "Why, it's the young lady from the Deanery!" exclaimed Manfred Hegner in a relieved voice; and both he and his wife began hastily unlocking and unbarring the great plate-glass doors. The unbidden, unexpected visitor stepped forward into the shop, and Mrs. Hegner eagerly noted the cut and shape of the prettily draped pale blue silk evening coat, and tried to gain some notion of the evening gown beneath. "I'm so glad to be in time--I mean before your meeting has begun. How very nice it all looks!" The speaker cast an approving glance on the rout chairs, on the table at the top of the room, on the counter where steamed, even now, the fragrant coffee. "The Dean has asked me to bring a message--of course quite an informal message, Mr. Hegner. He wants you to tell everybody that he is quite at their service if they want anything done." "That is very, very good of Mr. Dean. Polly, d'you hear that? Is not the Reverend gentleman truly good?" "Yes, indeed," said Mrs. Hegner, a trifle mechanically. She felt a touch of sharp envy as she looked at the beautiful girl standing there. Though Edith Haworth knew very little of Mrs. Hegner, except that Mrs. Hegner's sister was her maid, Mrs. Hegner knew a great deal about Miss Haworth. How she had gone up to London just for one month of the season, and how during that one month she had become engaged to a rich young gentleman, a baronet. He was in the Army, too, but he couldn't be much of a soldier, for he seemed to be a great deal in Witanbury--at least he had been here a great deal during the last three weeks. The two often walked about the town together; once they had stood for quite a long time just opposite the open doors of the Stores, and Mrs. Hegner on that occasion had looked at the handsome couple with sympathetic interest and excitement. But now, to-night, nothing but sharp envy filled her soul. It was her fate, poor, pretty Polly's fate, to sit behind that horrid glass partition over there, taking money, paying out endless small change, compelled always to look pleasant, or Manfred, if he caught her looking anything else, even when giving a farthing change out of a penny, would soon know the reason why! The young lady who stood smiling just within the door was not half as "fetching" as she, Polly, had been in her maiden days--and yet she was going to have everything the heart of woman could desire, a rich, handsome, young husband, and plenty of money!