cousin calling you, in the garden. Go along with you."

The girl went off slowly, wondering at her grandfather's earnestness.
She knew she liked her old playmate far better than Richard Horton,
although the latter's attentions pleased and flattered her. The old
soldier went straight off to the squire's study.

"Squire," he said, "you remember that talk we had, three years ago,
when your nephew's answer came to your letter, telling him that Aggie
was found. I told you that I would wager he had made up his mind to
marry her. You laughed at me; but I was right. Child though she still
is, he is already paving the way for the future."

"Master Richard certainly is carrying on a sort of flirtation with the
little witch," the squire said, smiling; "but as she is such a mere
child as you say, what does it matter?"

"I think it matters a great deal," the old soldier said seriously. "I
see, squire, the young fellow has quite regained your good opinion; and
unless I am mistaken, you have already thought, to yourself, that it
would not be a bad thing if they were to come together someday.

"I have thought it over, and have made up my mind that, in spite of
your four years' continued kindness to me, and of the warm friendship
between us, I must go away for a time. My box is still lying at Exeter,
and I would rather tramp the country again, and live on it and my
pension, than stay here and see my darling growing up a woman with that
future before her. I am sorry to say, squire, that what you call my
prejudice is as strong as ever. I doubt that young fellow as strongly
as I did before he came home. Then, I only had his past conduct and his