He was quite astonished at her gratitude, which seemed so far beyond the slight service he offered her. She thanked him with tears in her eyes--there was some china and---- Mrs. Macfarlane's shrewd eyes saw that in some way this offer meant more than appeared, and she rose with Mrs. Dorriman to go and see how much room the things would take, and how best to take them over. Mrs. Dorriman stood before the boxes holding the household treasures, her colour coming and going, and her evident hesitation and uncertainty quite pitiable to see. Her friend looked at her in amazement--she saw tears standing in her eyes, and she laid her hand softly upon hers, and said, "It is all very painful for you, you will feel better when it is over." "It is all pain--it is not that----" and poor Mrs. Dorriman's tears overflowed. Then, as the sound of Mr. Macfarlane's carriage announcing her impending departure struck her ear, she stooped suddenly and drew out a box which she was unable to lift, and she said in an agitated whisper, "I do not know what they are, or what secrets they hold, I am afraid of looking--my brother wants those papers--Mrs. Macfarlane they were my husband's, they are mine. You will never give them up?" "I will never give them up, save at your own expressed wish." "It is safer for my brother not to know that you have them. He is not sure they exist, but he is very anxious--so anxious to find them that I know they are of consequence to him." "But, dear Mrs. Dorriman, why not look through them? An evil guessed at, is worse than one confronted." "You do not know--I am afraid. No! I cannot look at them--a day may come--Mrs. Macfarlane, if you knew all. In looking I may do my husband injury. I cannot do it--I have not courage." "You may on the contrary find out much that puzzled people at the time of his death. No one understands how he managed to lose all his money;" and then being a discreet woman she stopped short--she must not say a word to set Mrs. Dorriman against her brother. "Do you think it might do good?" the poor woman said, with a flash in her eyes--a ray of hope--that gleamed there for a moment and faded again. "No!" she repeated, "I cannot do it now. I cannot risk it." Mrs. Macfarlane felt she had no right to urge her to pursue any course of action, when she was ignorant of the real history of her past, and could not foresee the consequences; but she went to summon her husband. Mr. Macfarlane was not quite so willing as his wife to throw himself into the situation. Her warm heart often led her to take responsibilities his caution would rather have done without. As usual, his reluctance did away with any doubts still lingering in Mrs. Dorriman's mind; the moment a thing is difficult or unattainable it becomes desirable. He accepted the trust, however, and then suddenly said, "Are your marriage settlements in your brother's hands?" "My marriage settlements? I never had any that I know of," she answered, helplessly.