"Yes，miss.He were bos'n on Cap'n Wegg's schooner the 'Lively Kate，'an'I were livin'with Miss Mary，as come to be Mrs.Wegg arterward.""Oh，I see.And were you blind then，Nora？""No，miss.I went blind arter our great trouble come to us.""Trouble？Oh，I'm so sorry，dear.What was it？"The old woman was silent for a time.Then she said：
"I'd better not mention it，I guess.Thomas likes to forgit，an'when I gets cryin'an'nervous he knows I've been thinkin''bout the old trouble."Louise was disappointed，but changed the subjectadroitlya.
"And Miss Mary，who was afterward Mrs.Wegg.Did you love her，Nora？""Indeed I did，child.""What was she like？""She were gentle，an'sweet，an'the mos'beautiful creetur in all—in—in the place where we lived.An'her fambily was that proud an'aristocratic thet no one could tech 'em with a ten—foot pole.""I see.Did she love Captain Wegg？""Nat'rally，sense she married of him，an'fit all her fambily to do it.An'the Cap'n were thet proud o'her thet he thought the world lay in her sweet eyes.""Oh.I had an idea he didn't treat her well，"remarked thegirl，soberly.
"That's wrong，"declared Nora，promptly."Arter the trouble come—fer it come to the Weggs as well as to Tom an'me—the Cap'n sort o'lost heart to see his Mary cry day arter day an'never be comforted.He were hard hitb himself，yesee，an'that made it a gloomy house，an'no mistake.""Do you mean after you moved here，to the farm？""Yes，deary.""I hear Captain Wegg was very fond of Ethel's grand—father，"continued Louise，trying to find an opening to penetrate old Nora's reserve.
"They was good friends always，"was the brief reply.
"Did they ever quarrel，Nora？""Never that I knows of.""And what do you suppose became of their money？"askedthe girl.
"I don't know，child.Air we gettin'near home？""We are quite near，now.I wish you would open your heart to me，and tell me about that great trouble，Nora.I might be able to comfort you in some way."The blind woman shook her head.
"There's no comfort but in forgettin'，"she said；"an'the way to forgit ain't to talk about it."The unsatisfactory result of this conversation did not discourage Louise，although she was sorry to meet with no better success.Gradually she was learning the inside history of the Weggs.When she discovered what that "great trouble"had been she would secure an important clue in the mystery，she was sure.Nora might some time be induced to speak more freely，and it was possible she might get the desired information from Old Hucks.She would try，anyway.
A dozen theories might be constructed to account for this "great trouble."The one that Louise finally favored was that Captain Wegg had been guilty of some crime on the high seas in which his boatswain，Old Hucks，was likewise implicated.They were obliged to abandon the sea and ？y to some out—of—the—way corner inland，where they could be safely hidden and their whereabouts never discovered.It was the knowledge of this crime，she conjectured，that had ruined sweet Mrs.Wegg's life and made her weep day after day until her guilty husband became surly and silent and unsociable.
Louise now began to cultivate Thomas，but her progresswas slow.Patsy seemed to be the old man's favorite，and for some reason he became glum and uncommunicative whenever Louise was around.The girl suspected that Nora had told her husband of the recent conversation，in spite of her assertion that she wished to avoid all reference to their great trouble.