They could be seen far away from the window of the upper storey, which, rising above the brow of the hill behind, commanded a wide view of the mountain plains.  They were coming on horseback across the almost pathless uplands; dear Miss Anne, with Mr. Lockwood riding beside her; and a little way behind them the lord of the manor and his young wife, who was no other than Miss Lockwood herself.  They greeted Stephen and Martha with many smiles and words of congratulation; and when they were seated in the decorated room, with the door and window opened upon the beautiful landscape, Mr. Lockwood bade them come and sit down with them; while Tim helped the groom to put up the horses in the stable.

‘My boy,’ said Mr. Lockwood, ’our business is finished at last.  Mr. Thomas Wyley will not try his right to Fern’s Hollow by law; but we have agreed to give him the L15 paid to your grandfather, and also to pay to him all the actual cost of the work done here.  Miss Anne and I have had a quarrel on the subject, but she consents that I shall pay that as a mark of my esteem for you, and my old servant your mother.  Mr. Danesford intends to make a gift to you of the pasture and plantation, which were an encroachment upon the manor.  And now I want you to take my advice into the bargain.  Jackson wants to come here, and offers a rent of L20 a year for the place.  Will you let him have it till you are old enough to manage it properly yourself, Stephen?’

‘Yes, if you please, sir,’ replied Stephen, in some perplexity; for he and Martha had quite concluded that, they should come and live there again themselves.

‘Jackson will make a tidy little farm of it for you,’ continued Mr. Lockwood.  ’My daughter proposes taking Martha into her service, and putting her into the way of learning dairy-work, and many other things of which she is now ignorant.  Are you willing, Martha?’

‘Oh yes, sir!’ said Martha, with a look of admiration at young Mrs. Danesford.

‘In this case, Stephen,’ Mr. Lockwood went on, ’you will have a yearly income of L20, and we would like to hear what you will do with it?’

‘There’s grandfather,’ said Stephen diffidently.

‘Right, my boy!’ cried Mr. Lockwood, with a smile of satisfaction; ’well, Miss Anne thinks he would be very comfortable with Mrs. Thompson, and she would be glad of a little money with him.  But he cannot live much longer, Stephen; he is very aged, and the doctor thinks he will hardly get over the autumn.  So we had better settle what shall be done after grandfather is gone.’

‘Sir,’ said Stephen, ’I think Martha should have some good of grandmother’s work, if she is only a girl.  So hadn’t the rent better be saved up for her till I’m old enough to come and manage the farm myself?’

Every face in the room glowed with approbation of Stephen’s suggestion; and Martha flushed crimson at the very thought of possessing so much money; and visions of future greatness, more than her grandmother had foreseen, passed before her mind.