pecting some money from Germany, and since this
morning she had been wondering, with keen anxiety,
whether that money would be stopped in the post.

What made this possibility very real to her was the
fact that an uncle of Anna's, just forty-four years ago,
that is, in the August of 1870, had been ruined owing
to the very simple fact that a sum of money owing
him from France had not been able to get through!
It was true that she, Anna, would not be ruined if
the sum due to her, which in English money came to
fifty shillings exactly, were not to arrive. Still, it
would be very disagreeable, and the more disagreeable
because she had foolishly given her son-in-law
five pounds a month ago. She knew it would have to
be a gift, though he had pretended at the time that
it was only a loan.

Anna wondered how she could find out whether
money orders were still likely to come through from
Germany. She did not like to ask at the Post Office,
for her Berlin nephew, who transmitted the money to
her half-yearly, always had the order made out to
some neighbouring town or village, not to Witanbury.
In vain Anna had pointed out that this was quite
unnecessary, and indeed very inconvenient; and that
when she had said she did not wish her mistress to
know, she had not meant that. In spite of her protests
Willi had persisted in so sending it.

Suddenly her face brightened. How easy it would
be to find out all that sort of thing at the meeting
tonight! Such a man as Manfred Hegner would be
sure to know.

There came a ring at the front door of the Trellis
House, and Anna got up reluctantly from her easy

[[53]]

p052 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p053w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p054

v?