"Yes, sir."
"Free of incumbrance?"
"Not quite. There is a mortgage of three hundred dollars held by Squire Duncan. It was held by Deacon Tibbetts, but about three months since Squire Duncan bought it."
"What could be his object in buying it?"
"I don't know, sir. Perhaps the deacon owed him money."
"I am surprised, then, that he deprived you of your position as janitor, since it would naturally make it more difficult for you to meet the interest."
"That is true, sir. I wondered at it myself."
"Your house is a small one, but the location is fine. It would make a building lot suitable for a gentleman's summer residence."
"Yes, sir; there was a gentleman in the village last summer who called upon mother and tried to induce her to sell."
"Did he offer her a fair price?"