"Yes, a great many years ago, longer than you can remember. Joel Rogers,
that was the name, and he had a sister, Elizabeth. You did not hear of
her?"

"Father, father; you are talking too much; you are getting excited and
tired," Hannah interposed in some alarm, but her father replied:

"No. I'm not afraid of Grey, now that I see his face again; it's a face
to be trusted. Grey would not harm his old grandfather. Would you, boy?"
and the childish old man began to cry piteously, while Grey looked
inquiringly at his aunt, and touched his forehead meaningly, as much as
to say:

"I know, I understand; a little out of his head."

She let him think so, and laying his hand on his grandfather's hair,
Grey said:

"Don't cry; of course I would not harm you, the best grandpa in all the
world."

"No, no, Grey; the worst, the worst; and yet it does me good to know you
love and respect me, and you always will when I am dead and gone, won't
you, even if you should ever know how bad I was, and you may sometime,
for it is impressed on me this morning that in some way you will help
Hannah out of it. You two, and no more. Poor Hannah. She has suffered so
much for my sake. Be good to her, Grey, when I am gone; be good to
Hannah. Poor Hannah."