He regarded her head for a moment, went to the door, and with one look back at her, departed on his way homeward.
Marty pursued her occupation for a few minutes, then suddenly laying down the bill-hook, she jumped up and went to the back of the room, where she opened a door which disclosed a staircase so whitely scrubbed that the grain of the wood was wellnigh sodden away by such cleansing.
At the top she gently approached a bedroom, and without entering, said, "Father, do you want anything ?" A weak voice inside answered in the negative; adding, "I should be all right by to-morrow if it were not for the tree!" "The tree again--always the tree! Oh, father, don't worry so about that.

You know it can do you no harm." "Who have ye had talking to ye down-stairs ?" "A Sherton man called--nothing to trouble about," she said, soothingly.
"Father," she went on, "can Mrs.Charmond turn us out of our house if she's minded to ?" "Turn us out?
No.

Nobody can turn us out till my poor soul is turned out of my body.

'Tis life-hold, like Ambrose Winterborne's.

But when my life drops 'twill be hers--not till then." His words on this subject so far had been rational and firm enough.