d won't even answer us
when we speak, though we know he is up and awake, for we heard him
tramping about all night."

"Let me go up to him," said Mr Farquhar.

"He won't let you in. It will be of no use." But in spite of what
they said, he went up; and to their surprise, after hearing who it
was, their father opened the door, and admitted their brother-in-law.
He remained with Mr Bradshaw about half an hour, and then came into
the dining-room, where the two girls stood huddled over the fire,
regardless of the untasted breakfast behind them; and, writing a few
lines, he desired them to take his note up to their mother, saying it
would comfort her a little, and that he should send Jemima, in two or
three hours, with the baby--perhaps to remain some days with them. He
had no time to tell them more; Jemima would.

He left them, and rejoined Mr Benson. "Come home and breakfast with
me. I am off to London in an hour or two, and must speak with you
first."

On reaching his house, he ran upstairs to ask Jemima to breakfast
alone in her dressing-room, and returned in five minutes or less.

"Now I can tell you about it," said he. "I see my way clearly to a
certain point. We must prevent Dick and his father meeting just now,
or all hope of Dick's reformation is gone for ever. His father is as
hard as the nether mill-stone. He has forbidden me his house."

"Forbidden you!"

"Yes; because I would not give up Dick as utterly lost and bad; and
because I said I should return to London with the clerk, and fairly
tell Dennison (he's a Scotchman, and a man of sense and feeling) the
real state of the case. By the way, we must not say a word to the
clerk; otherwise he will expect an answer, and make out all sorts of
inferences for himself, from the unsatisfactory reply he must have.
Dennison will be upon honour--will see every side of the case--will
know you refuse to prosecute; the Company of which he is manager are
no losers. Well! when I said what I thought wise, of all this--when
I spoke as if my course were a settled and decided thing, the grim
old man asked me if he was to be an automaton in his own house. He
assured me he had no feeling for Dick--all the time he was shaking
like an aspen; in short, repeated much the same things he must have
said to you last night. However, I defied him; and the consequence
is, I'm forbidden the house, and, what is more, he says he will not
come to the office while I remain a partner."

"Wh