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148 turned from their day's sport. Letty knew that her grandfather would be likely to be sitting alone in the library, and the impulse to tell him this strange and not wholly pleasing thing took hold of her. She ran down-stairs rapidly, opened the door, and there, in the dusky afternoon, dozing before the fire, was the Colonel, with a volume of Goldsmith open upon his knee.

Letty went up to him and touched him gently.

"Grandpapa," she said.

"I was not asleep, my dear," answered the Colonel, very promptly, without waiting for the accusation.

"If you were," said Letty, with nervous audacity, "what I'm about to tell you will wake you up."

She hesitated for a moment, in order to convey the news in a guarded and appropriate manner—and then, suddenly burst out with—

"Grandpapa—Mr. Romaine has made his will and left me nearly all his money."

The Colonel fairly jumped from his chair. He thought Letty had lost her mind.

"He has, indeed," she continued, in a half