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THE SPREAD OF THE BLIGHT.
It may be that Laura did not look upon the removal of her father as an unmixed misfortune.

Nothing was said to her as to the manner of the old man's seizure, but Robert informed her at breakfast that he had thought it best, acting under medical advice, to place him for a time under some restraint.

She had herself frequently remarked upon the growing eccentricity of his manner, so that the announcement could have been no great surprise to her.

It is certain that it did not diminish her appetite for the coffee and the scrambled eggs, nor prevent her from chatting a good deal about her approaching wedding.
But it was very different with Raffles Haw.