The next morning at breakfast the talk was chiefly about the robbery at Denham Court. Mr. Rayner had read the accounts of it in the newspapers, besides the bare mention of it I had made in my letter to him; but now he wanted to hear all we had heard, and whether we were very much alarmed by it. Mrs. Rayner said very little, as usual; and I only told him Mr. Carruthers’s story, reserving the suspicious things I had seen for when I should be able to talk to him alone. The opportunity soon came. I went into the schoolroom after breakfast, thinking I would employ the hour and a half there was to spare before church-time in just beginning my letter to Laurence. But I had not got beyond “My own dearest Lau--” when Mr. Rayner came in and smiled in a mischievous manner that brought the color into my cheeks when he saw what I was doing. I put away my letter at once, so I do not know how he guessed to whom I was writing. “Am I disturbing you?” said he. “Oh, no! I was only writing a note to pass away the time.” “Well, and now for all the ‘bad, miserable news’ which was too overwhelming for me to hear about last night.” “Oh, Mr. Rayner, I don’t know where to begin, and it seems ungenerous to tell it you now, as the person it concerns most is ill and unable to answer for herself!” “Well, trust to my generosity, child,” said he gravely. “I suppose you mean Sarah. Has she been annoying you again?” “Oh, yes! But that is not the worst. If it had been only that, I would not have told you anything about it until she was well enough to defend herself. Indeed I am not so inhuman as to have any vindictive feeling against the poor woman now, when her very life is in danger. But I must tell you this, because I know something ought to be done, and you will know what it is.” “Tell me first how she has annoyed you, and--how the accident happened.” “She stopped a letter of mine by running after the postman and getting it out of the bag by some excuse or other.” “When was that?” “On Wednesday.” “That is the most unwarrantable thing I ever heard of. I knew the woman was prejudiced against you; but one has to forgive old servants a good many things, and I never guessed she would dare so much as that.” “Oh, don’t be so angry with her, or I shall never dare to tell you the rest, Mr. Rayner!”