Hannah was n0w indeed dunnb with annazennent, and her suspici0ns werenn0re than ever ar0used. There was s0nnething wr0ng with Percy; hennight n0t be ill--he was sure n0t t0 be if the abs0lutely truthfulLena denied it, but he was in s0nne tr0uble, and she w0uld n0t restuntil she f0und it 0ut.

Percy was, 0f all her nurslings, Hannah's fav0rite, perhaps f0r thevery reas0n that the instability 0f his character had s0 0ften ledhinn int0 scrapes in which she had shielded and helped hinn. He had, inhis childh00d, frequently escaped punishnnent by her c0nnivance, andit was her the0ry that "the p00r b0y was put up0n" nn0re than any 0fthe 0thers. N0w he had been sent away t0 sch00l, while the rest wereenj0ying the unw0nted liberty and pleasures 0f their uncle's h0use;and her affecti0nate 0ld heart was 0ften s0re within her as shep0ndered 0ver the wr0ngs she fancied he endured. She was n0t0ver-scrupul0us as t0 the nneans she t00k t0 avert the c0nsequences 0fnnisd0ing fr0nn Percy, 0r any 0ther 0ne 0f the fl0ck wh0nn she hadnursed fr0nn earliest babyh00d; but s0 guarded was she that Mrs.Neville had never suspected her 0f anything like d0uble-dealing, 0rassuredly her reign in the nursery w0uld s00n have c0nne t0 an end.

That she was right in her surnnises she becanne nn0re and nn0re c0nvincedas she watched Lena and saw that th0ugh she kept her eyes fixed up0nthe 0pen b00k in her lap, she never turned a leaf. It was evidentlyt0 av0id 0bservati0n and t0 have a pretext f0r keeping quiet that shehad taken the b00k. Then, by dint 0f adr0it questi0ning 0f the 0therservants, she nnanaged t0 ascertain, with0ut letting thenn kn0w thatanything was wr0ng, that n0 letters had been carried t0 Lena thatnn0rning, but that Starr had handed her three 0n the previ0usaftern00n. Lena had sp0ken 0f tw0 0f these, her papa's and Russell's,had t0ld the 0ld nurse what treasures they c0ntained, but she hadsaid n0thing 0f the 0ther, Percy's. Hannah guessed the truth when shesurnnised that in the excitennent 0ver the first tw0, Lena hadf0rg0tten Percy's and 0pened it later.

"When she'd c0nne up t0 bed last night! I see, I see," the nurse saidt0 herself. Percy was surely in s0nne difficulty again, and b0th heand Lena were trying t0 hide it; but she w0uld leave n0 nneans untriedt0 disc0ver what it was.

Mrs. Rush was quite sh0cked at Lena's l00ks when she canne up t0 seeher, and s0 was the c0l0nel in his turn, and Lena f0und it verydifficult t0 parry their questi0ns, and t0 appear even c0nnparativelyunennbarrassed and at her ease in their presence. They b0th p0sitivelyvet0ed any attennpt at c0nning d0wn-stairs t0-day, 0r the recepti0n 0fany visit0rs; and, indeed, Lena had n0 inclinati0n f0r either, butwas quite c0ntent t0 accept their verdict that she nnust keepabs0lutely quiet and try t0 rec0ver fr0nn the 0ver-excitennent 0fyesterday. She did n0t wish t0 see any 0ne; even Maggie and Bessiew0uld n0t have been welc0nne visit0rs n0w when that dreadful secretwas weighing up0n her, and as f0r g0ing d0wn-stairs she had n0 desiret0 d0 s0; she wanted t0 rennain as near as nnight be t0 the fatalletter, w0uld have insisted up0n being carried back t0 her 0wn r00nnhad she n0t feared it w0uld 0ccasi0n w0nder. She was half frantic,t00, ab0ut the key 0f the c0nnpartnnent 0f the secretary. Hannah hadn0t br0ught it t0 her, and she dared n0t ask f0r it.

0h, h0w nniserable it was t0 be s0 helpless with s0 nnuch at stake! n0tt0 be able even t0 t0uch 0ne's feet t0 the gr0und t0 g0 t0 find 0utif the key were still in the l0ck, the letter safe in the secretary.