Oh, if I can keep the boys!"

"If any effort of mine can help you, it is my duty as well as my sincere
pleasure to do all I can."

"And if the will existed would you have acted on it?"

"Most certainly--in your defence."

"Ah!" cried Katherine, her eyes lighting up, her tremulous lips parting
in a smile. "Then you would have had some of the money too."

"Then you quite forgive me?" again rising, and coming over to stand
beside her.

"You must feel I do, Mr. Errington. Now I will say good-by. If you can
help me with George, I shall be most grateful."

"Promise that you will look on me as one of your most devoted friends.
He took her hand again.

"Can you indeed feel friendship for one you cannot respect?" she
returned, in a low tone, with one of the quick, vivid blushes which
usually rose to her cheek when she was much moved.

"But I do respect you. Why should I not? A generous, impulsive woman
like you cannot be judged by the cold maxims of exact justice; you must
be tried by the higher rules of equity."

"You comfort me," said Katherine, with indescribably sweet graceful
humility. "I thank you heartily, and will say good-by."

"I will come and see you into a cab," returned Errington, feeling
himself anxious that no one should recognize her, and not knowing when
their _tete-a-tete_ might be interrupted.

They went out together, and walked a little way in silence. "You will
let me come and see you, to hear--" began Errington, when Katherine
interrupted him.

"Not just now. I think we had better not seem to know anything of each
other, or perhaps George Liddell may suspect you of being my friend."

"I see. But at least you will keep me informed of how things go on.
Remember how tormented I am with remorse for my hasty act."

"You need not be. But I will write. There--there is a cab."

Errington hailed it, handed her in carefully, and they said good-by with
a sudden sense of intimacy which months of ordinary communication would
not have produced.

It was a very serious undertaking to break the intelligence to Miss
Payne, and poor Katherine felt quite exhausted before her exclamations,
questions, and wonderings were half over.

On one or two points Miss Payne at once made up her mind, nor had she
ever quite altered her opinion: This man representing himself as George
Liddell was an impostor who had known the real "Simon Pure," and got
himself up accordingly as soon as he heard that the late John Lid