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"Pull round the settle, Giles," said the timber-merchant, as soon as

they ithin "I should like to have a serious talk with you"

Thereupon he put the case to Winterborne frankly, and in quite a

friendly way He declared that he did not like to be hard on a man

when he was in difficulty; but he really did not see how Winterborne

could hter noithout even a house to take her to

Giles quite acquiesced in the aardness of his situation But fro that he would like to know Grace's mind from her own

lips, he did not speak out positively there and then He accordingly

departed somewhat abruptly, and went ho about a , while he sat quietly pondering, he fancied that he

heard a scraping on the wall outside his house The boughs of a

rew therehe knew that it could not be the rose-tree He took

up the candle and went out Nobody was near As he turned, the light

flickered on the ashed rough case of the front, and he saords

written thereon in charcoal, which he read as follows: "O Giles, you've lost your dwelling-place,

And therefore, Giles, you'll lose your Grace"

Giles went in-doors He had his suspicions as to the scrawler of those