"I was intending to come to see you," he went on more cheerfully, and yet being careful to modulate his words so that they might still retain the bereavement vibration, "but you have forestalled me, I see. I did not wish to hurry you unduly." "I have been tired," Lucy replied simply, "but I am rested now and quite ready to do whatever is necessary." "I am glad to hear that, very glad," Mr. Benton returned. "Of course there is no immediate haste; nevertheless it is well to straighten out such matters as soon as it can conveniently be done. When do you contemplate leaving town?" Lucy met the question with a smile. "Oh, I don't intend to leave Sefton Falls," she said quickly. "I have grown very fond of the place and mean to remain here." "Indeed," nodded Mr. Benton. "That is interesting. I am glad to hear we are not to lose you from the village." He rubbed his hands and continued to nod thoughtfully. "About how soon, if I might ask so personal a question, do you think you could be ready to hand over the house to the new tenant?" he at last ventured with hesitation. "I'm afraid I don't understand you." The lawyer seemed surprised. "You knew of your aunt's will?" "I knew she had made a will, yes, sir. She gave it to me to keep for her." "You were familiar with the contents of it?" "Not entirely so," Lucy answered. "I knew she had left me the house and some money. She told me that much." "U--u--m!" observed Mr. Benton. "But the second will--she spoke to you of that also?" "I don't know what you mean." "You were not cognizant that a few days before the deceased passed--shall we say, away"--he paused mournfully,--"that she made a new will and revoked the previous one?" "No." "No one told you that?" "No, sir." The lawyer straightened himself. Matters were becoming interesting. "There was a second will," he declared with deliberation. "It was drawn up one morning in your aunt's room, with Miss Melvina Grey, Mr. Caleb Saunders, and the boy Tony as witnesses." Lucy waited breathlessly. "This will," went on Mr. Benton, "provides for quite a different disposition of the property. I must beg you to prepare yourself for a disappointment." The girl threw back her head. "Go on, please," she commanded. "Quite a different disposition of the property," repeated Mr. Benton, dwelling on the cadence of the phrase. "What is it?" The man delayed. "Have you any reason to suppose, Miss Webster, that your aunt was--shall we say annoyed, with you?" "I knew she did not like the way I felt about some things," admitted Lucy. "But did not some vital difference of opinion arise between you recently?" Mr. Benton persisted. "I spoke my mind to Aunt Ellen the other day," confessed the girl. "I had to." "Ah! Then that explains matters!" "What matters?" "The somewhat strange conditions of the will." Having untangled the enigma to his own satisfaction, Mr. Benton proceeded to sit back and enjoy its solution all by himself.