some distance down
the street and in the opposite direction from that in which he wished to
go. He decided to ask his father about this.

On demand, old Butler confessed at once, but insisted that his son keep
silent about it.

"I wish I'd have known," said Owen, grimly. "I'd have shot the dirty
dog."

"Aisy, aisy," said Butler. "Yer own life's worth more than his, and ye'd
only be draggin' the rest of yer family in the dirt with him. He's had
somethin' to pay him for his dirty trick, and he'll have more. Just ye
say nothin' to no one. Wait. He'll be wantin' to get out in a year or
two. Say nothin' to her aither. Talkin' won't help there. She'll come
to her sinses when he's been away long enough, I'm thinkin'." Owen had
tried to be civil to his sister after that, but since he was a stickler
for social perfection and advancement, and so eager to get up in the
world himself, he could not understand how she could possibly have done
any such thing. He resented bitterly the stumbling-block she had put in
his path. Now, among other things, his enemies would have this to throw
in his face if they wanted to--and they would want to, trust life for
that.

Callum reached his knowledge of the matter in quite another manner, but
at about the same time. He was a member of an athletic club which had an
attractive building in the city, and a fine country club, where he went
occasionally to enjoy the swimming-pool and the Turkish bath connected
with it. One of his friends approached him there in the billiard-room
one evening and said, "Say, Butler, you know I'm a good friend of yours,
don't you?"

"Why, certainly, I know it," replied Callum. "What's the matter?"

"Well, you know," said the young individual, whose name was Richard
Pethick, looking at Callum with a look of almost strained affection,
"I wouldn't come to you with any story that I thought would hurt your
feelings or that you oughtn't to know about, but I do think you ought to
know about this." He pulled at a high white collar which was choking his
neck.

"I know you wouldn't, Pethick," replied Callum; very much interested.
"What is it? What's the point?"

"Well, I don't like to say anything," replied Pethick, "but that fellow
Hibbs is saying things around here about your sister."

"What's that?" exclaimed Callum, straightening up in the most dynamic
way and bethinking him of the approved social procedure in all such
cases. He should be very angry. He should dema