“And when I heard,” continued Penelope, “that there was a couple of such sufferers I went to see them, and I was sick at heart when I witnessed their misery and destitution. I then desired my father to speak to the overseers, that a larger allowance might be made them; but I was informed that only the old man belonged to Smatterton, and the grand-daughter, having been born elsewhere, had no claim on Smatterton; but that she might, if she would, be taken into the poor-house of her own parish. The poor girl however could not bear to leave her grand-father; and the old man being now quite helpless could not part with his only remaining one. And we have contrived to give the poor creatures such comforts as their situation required; and the poor girl’s gratitude is painful to me and distressing to herself. She is continually reproaching herself and expressing her sense of her unworthiness of every comfort she enjoys. It was but this morning that she told me the whole of her history, and she had just concluded her story when I heard your voices in the cottage. She was at that moment saying, “Tell Lord Spoonbill that Ellen Fitzpatrick forgives him.” Now, when the ladies heard the name of Fitzpatrick mentioned, they looked enquiringly one at another, and the elder sister said, “Fitzpatrick! I wonder whether that is the man that my father used to talk about.” Then turning to Penelope, she said; “Do you know, Miss Primrose, whether this poor man was ever gamekeeper to the late Lord Smatterton?” After a moment’s hesitation, and a look of effort to recollect, Penelope replied, “Yes, I think I heard him say that, in his younger days, he was in the late Lord Smatterton’s service.” The young ladies were convinced that it must be the same, and they then told Penelope that this poor old man had many years ago saved their father’s life, or at least had saved him from very imminent danger, by plunging into a mill-stream and dragging him out when he was much nearer to danger than he apprehended. And they were very sure, from the manner in which their father had often spoke of the poor man’s services, that his kindness was not forgotten. Penelope, who had no wish to see Mr Darnley the elder at Smatterton, observed, that it would be quite superfluous to trouble him, for whatever the situations of the poor creatures required, was abundantly supplied them, and they could not long stand in any need of assistance. Thus they parted. The Miss Darnleys having delivered their message, returned back to Neverden, and Penelope, whose mind was in a frame to delight rather in what was sorrowful than in what was cheerful, went back again into the poor man’s cottage, and lost sight of her own griefs in endeavouring to alleviate the sorrows of another. CHAPTER VII.