"Timothy, will you come here a moment ?" The cooper regarded the stranger with some surprise.

His wife hastened to introduce her as Mrs.Hardwick, Ida's old nurse, and placed in her husband's hands the letter which we have already read.
He was not a rapid reader, and it took him some time to get through the letter.

He laid it down on his knee, and looked thoughtful.
"This is indeed unexpected," he said, at last.

"It is a new development in Ida's history.

May I ask, Mrs.Hardwick, if you have any further proof?
I want to be careful about a child that I love as my own.