SUSPICIONS. 63 



exactly paid for her penurious provision gathered and, if 

 possible, stole her sticks boiled her pot, and crept into her 

 bed. For all other purposes of use or intercourse her mind 

 was what people are accustomed to call " quite gone," though, 

 to judge from her continual nrutterings by day and meanings 

 by niglit, it seemed still much to her discomfort to hold 

 within her some sort of uneasy presence. One day, as if by 

 accident, she entered Tim's chamber; but the moment he 

 caught sight of her, he shrieked and was so strongly agitated, 

 that good care was taken in future to prevent a repetition of 

 her unwelcome visit. Often, however, in his feverish ram- 

 blings did he address her, imploring her to give him back a 

 something she had taken from him, though she might keep, ho 

 said, all the money, and he would never tell his grandfather 

 nor yet Sir Timothy. 



These incoherent words, with others to a similar purport, 

 often repeated during our frequent visits to his bedside, first 

 awakened our suspicion that the orphan boy had been robbed 

 by his sordid old landlady. 



As Tim slowly recovered the powers of his mind, he would 

 often use expressions of grateful regret at his inability to pay 

 anything for all that was being done for him. We, of course, 

 did our best to quiet him under this his honest distress ; but, as 

 connected therewith, we learnt the story of his lost treasure, 

 with its casket, the little Tomkins' Tomb ; also his reasons for 

 believing them in the dame's keeping ; though of this he 



