cenary; but I
confess I had no idea, until within the last few days, that they
were capable of such beastly ingratitude."

"Do you mean to say that it is a trait of the entire Mainwaring
family, or only of this branch in particular?" he inquired, somewhat
amused.

"All the Mainwarings are noted for their worship of the golden god,"
she replied, with a low musical laugh; "but Ralph Mainwaring's love
of money is almost a monomania. He has planned and schemed to get
that old piece of English property into his hands for years and
years, in fact, ever since it was willed to Hugh Mainwaring at the
time his brother was disinherited, and the name he gave to his son
was the first stone laid to pave the way to this coveted fortune."

"I see. Pardon me, Miss Carleton; but you just now alluded to Hugh
Mainwaring's brother. I remember some mention was made at the
inquest of a brother, but I supposed it must be an error. Had he
really a brother?"

"Ah, yes, an elder brother; and he must have been less avaricious
than the rest of them, as he sacrificed a fortune for love. It was
quite a little romance, you know. He and his brother Hugh were
both in love with the same lady. The father did not approve, and
gave his sons their choice between love without a fortune or a
fortune without love. Hugh Mainwaring chose the latter, but Harold,
the elder, was true to his lady, and was consequently disinherited."

"Poor Hugh Mainwaring!" commented the attorney; "he made his choice
for life of a fortune without love, and a sad life it was, too!"

Miss Carleton glanced up with quick sympathy. "Yes, it seemed to
me his life must have been rather lonely and sad."

There was a pause, and she added, "And did he never speak to you,
his intimate friend, of his brother?"

"Never."

"Strange! Perhaps he was like the others, after all, and thought
of nothing but money."

"No, I cannot believe that of Hugh Mainwaring," the attorney replied,
loyally; then added, "What became of the brother, Miss Carleton?"

"He was lost at sea. He had started for Africa, to make a fortune
for himself, but the boat was wrecked in a storm and every one on
board was lost."

"And his family, what of them?" queried the attorney.

"He had no children, and no one ever knew what became of his wife.
The Mainwarings are a very prosaic family; that is the only bit of
romance in their history; but I always enjoyed that, except that
it ended so sadly, and I alw