Mr. Anderson gave her no particular comfort. He was an honest man, and, moreover, he had once had to collect a bill of Miss Priscilla, and he had not forgotten (though she had) the way he had been treated on that occasion. He strongly advised Miss Priscilla not to go to law about the matter. "These few thousand dollars are nothing to you," he said. "If you go to law, your servants and your niece will be very sharply examined, and things may come to light which may be very unpleasant." Miss Priscilla winced. "There is another consideration," pursued the lawyer, as gently and politely as if Miss Priscilla was a mouse and he the cat which was playing with her. "I suppose there is no doubt that your father, General Stanfield, made a second will, though it was never found. But after what has passed, Settson and Fabian will leave no stone unturned to discover it, and they are likely enough to succeed. Under such circumstances, would it not be better to conciliate the regard of the young lady,—who, from all I hear from my nieces, her schoolmates, is a very amiable, engaging young person,—and make a friend of her?" "I tell you there was no second will—nothing of the sort," said Miss Priscilla, in great agitation. "The whole property is mine—house and all; and that money is rightfully mine." "There you are mistaken, as I think," said Mr. Anderson, politely. "Then you won't undertake the case?" said Miss Priscilla, in deep disappointment. "Under the circumstances, I must be excused," said Mr. Anderson; "and my parting advice to you is to let matters rest where they are, and to endeavor to make a friend of the young lady. The time is short, my dear madam—the time is short; and both you and myself are rapidly approaching that station where no earthly riches are of any avail. I should be happy to invite you to dinner, but my wife and daughter are away, and I am taking my own meals at a neighbor's house. Good-morning!" And Miss Priscilla found herself bowed out of the office with great politeness. She had counted on keeping herself, her horse, and her servant at Mr. Anderson's expense; but now she must go to the tavern, for the horse, at least, must have his dinner. There was now no object in her remaining all night, and the more she thought of it, the more vexed she was with herself for the course she had taken. How should she manage when she came home? The servants would be certain to find out that Calista had been shut up in the empty house all day, and, what was worse, they would be sure to tell of it, for they were both on Calista's side. To do Miss Priscilla justice, she was not without better feelings. She remembered that Calista had really seemed glad to see her down stairs, and she thought, too, how she had rejected the child's offer of friendship. "The child!"