that it was quite needless to degrade myself by
personally communicating with Van Brandt in his prison. It only now
occurred to me that my legal advisers were, as a matter of course,
the proper persons to represent me in the matter--with this additional
advantage, that they could keep my share in the transaction a secret
even from Van Brandt himself.

I drove at once to the office of my lawyers. The senior partner--the
tried friend and adviser of our family--received me.

My instructions, naturally enough, astonished him. He was immediately
to satisfy the prisoner's creditors, on my behalf, without mentioning
my name to any one. And he was gravely to accept as security for
repayment--Mr. Van Brandt's note of hand!

"I thought I was well acquainted with the various methods by which a
gentleman can throw away his money," the senior partner remarked. "I
congratulate you, Mr. Germaine, on having discovered an entirely new
way of effectually emptying your purse. Founding a newspaper, taking a
theater, keeping race-horses, gambling at Monaco, are highly efficient
as modes of losing money. But they all yield, sir, to paying the debts
of Mr. Van Brandt!"

I left him, and went home.

The servant who opened the door had a message for me from my mother. She
wished to see me as soon as I was at leisure to speak to her.

I presented myself at once in my mother's sitting-room.

"Well, George?" she said, without a word to prepare me for what was
coming. "How have you left Mrs. Van Brandt?"

I was completely thrown off my guard.

"Who has told you that I have seen Mrs. Van Brandt?" I asked.

"My dear, your face has told me. Don't I know by this time how you look
and how you speak when Mrs. Van Brandt is in your mind. Sit down by me.
I have something to say to you which I wanted to say this morning; but,
I hardly know why, my heart failed me. I am bolder now, and I can say
it. My son, you still love Mrs. Van Brandt. You have my permission to
marry her."

Those were the words! Hardly an hour had elapsed since Mrs. Van Brandt's
own lips had told me that our union was impossible. Not even half an
hour had passed since I had given the directions which would restore to
liberty the man who was the one obstacle to my marriage. And this was
the time that my mother had innocently chosen for consenting to receive
as her daughter-in-law Mrs. Van Brandt!

"I see that I surprise you," she resumed. "Let me explain my motive as
plainly