The worst was that
his sensitive uprightness might make him an easy victim of the
unscrupulous adventurer. But Foster did not mean him to be victimized.
As a rule, he was rather humorous than dramatic, but he got up and
stood with his hands clenched.

"This thing touches us both, sir. Lawrence is your son, but he's my
friend, and I've got to see him through, which warrants my giving you
the best advice I can. Very well, you must show a bold front to Daly;
to begin with you can't go to Hexham."

Featherstone gave him a grateful glance. He felt dejected and
desperate, but Foster looked comfortingly resolute. At first he had
welcomed him for his son's sake, but had come to like him for himself.

"No," he agreed. "I can't go; but that doesn't help us; because he'll
come here."

"Yes; he must be met. But do you know how he came to learn about the
matter?"

"I don't, but my relative, who was interested in politics and social
schemes, had a secretary. I can't remember his name, but this might be
the fellow."

"Then it's curious he didn't get on Lawrence's track before. Anyway,
he must be met with the bluff direct now."

"How can he be bluffed?" Featherstone asked with a hopeless gesture.
"He can have my son arrested if I don't agree to his demands."

"He would first have to tell the police all he knew, and as soon as he
did this his hold on you would be gone. Then they'd ask why he'd kept
the secret, which would be remarkably hard to answer, although he might
perhaps take the risk out of malice if he saw you meant to be firm.
For all that, you must be firm; you can't buy him off. He'd come back
later with a fresh demand. Would your estate stand the strain?"

"My wife and daughter would make any sacrifice for Lawrence's sake."

"The sacrifice would benefit this bloodsucker, which is a different
thing," Foster rejoined. "Then, even if you impoverished your family,
you'd only put off the reckoning, which would come when the fellow had
taken all you'd got. In short, he must be bluffed off now."

He sat down and pondered and there was silence for some minutes. It
had got dark and he heard the steady patter of the rain. He knew he
had undertaken a difficult task, and felt daunted because he could not
see his way. Still, it looked as if the happiness of these charming
people, and perhaps his partner's future, depended upon him. If that
were so, he must not fail them.

"Well," he said by and by, "my