I hope your
loan has not got you into a scrape.

'Yours ever (I mean it),
'H. MORTON.'

The letter to Lord Northmoor, which the servant put into his hand, was
shorter, and began with the more important sentence--'The rascal dropped
Michael at Liverpool Workhouse.'

The father read it with an ejaculation of 'Thank God,' the aunt answered
with a cry of horror, so that he thought for a moment she had supposed he
said 'dropped him into the sea,' and repeated 'Liverpool Workhouse.'

'Oh, yes, yes; but that is so dreadful. The Honourable Michael Morton in
a workhouse!'

'He is safe and well taken care of there, no doubt,' said Frank. 'I have
no fears now. There are much worse places than the nurseries of those
great unions.' Then, as he read on, 'There, Emma, your boy has acted
nobly. He has fully retrieved what his sister has done. Be happy over
that, dear sister, and be thankful with me. My Mary, my Mary, will the
joy be too much? Oh, my boy! How soon can I reach Liverpool? There,
you will like to read it. I must go and thank that good girl who found
him the means.'

He was gone, and found Rose in the act of reading her letter aloud (all
but certain bits, that made her falter as if the writing was bad) to her
parents and Mr. Deyncourt. And there, in full assembly, he found himself
at a loss for words. No one was so much master of the situation as Mr.
Rollstone.

'My Lord, I have the honour to congratulate your Lordship,' he said, with
a magnificence only marred by his difficulty in rising.

'I--I,' stammered his Lordship, with an unexpected choke in his throat,
'have to congratulate you, Mr. Rollstone, on having such a daughter.'
Then, grasping Rose's hand as in a vice, 'Miss Rollstone, what we owe to
you--is past expression.'

'I am sure she is very happy, my Lord, to have been of service,' said her
mother, with a simper.

Mr. Deyncourt, to relieve the tension of feeling, said, 'Miss Rollstone
was reading the letter about Mr. Morton's adventures. Would you not like
her to begin again?'

And while Rose obeyed, Lord Northmoor was able to extract his cheque-book
from his pocket-book, and as Rose paused, to say--

'I have a debt of which my nephew reminds me. Miss Rollstone furnished
the means for his journey. Will you let me fill this up? This can be
repaid,' he added, with a smi