Ready



54I



The house, I understand, has been like a fair. He is
in Guild Street this afternoon. It looks like the happy
old times, to see him at his post again. "
  " What are you going to do, now your place is
usurped" asked Mr. Huntley. " Subside into a clerk
again, and discharge the one who was taken on in
your stead, when you were promoted"
  " That's the question-what is to be done with
me" returned Hamish, in his joking manner. " I
have been telling my father that I had perhaps better
pay Port Natal a visit, and join Roland Yorke."
  " I told your father once, that when this time came,
I would help you to a post."
  " I am aware you did, sir. But you told me after-
wards that you had altered your intention-I was not
eligible for it. "
  " Believing you were the culprit at Galloway's."
  Hamish raised his eyebrows. " The extraordinary
part of that, sir, is, how you could have imagined such
a thing of me."
    Hamish, I shall always think so myself in future.
But I have this justification-that I was not alone in
the belief. Some of your family, who might be sup-
posed to know you better than 1, entertained the same
opinion. "
  "Yes; Constance and Arthur. But are you sure,
sir, that it was not their conduct that first induced
you to suspect me"
  ' Right, lad. Their conduct-I should rather say
their manner-wvas inexplicably mysterious, and it in-
duced me to ferret out its cause. That they wvere
screening some one, was evident, and I could only
come to the conclusion that it was you. But, Master
Hamisn, there were circumstances on your own part
which tended to strengthen the belief," added Mr.
Huntley, his tone becoming lighter. " Whence sprang
that money wherewith you satisfied some of your
troublesome creditors, just at that same time"
  Once more, as when it was alluded to before, a
red flush dyed the face of Hamish. Certainly, it could
not be a flush of guilt, while that ingenuous smile
hovered on his lips. But Hamish seemed attacked
with sudden shyness.