to you and asked your pardon, if we
would have permitted it."

"But, Mr. Sylvester, now we are coming to the part I cannot understand.
Of course the estate belonged to him, I know that. It is his. But why
didn't he tell Steve and me the truth then, at once? Why did he let us
believe, and employ you to lead us to believe, that it was not he but
someone else? Did he think we would blame him? Why has he--"

"Caroline! Caroline! don't you understand yet? Do you imagine for one
moment that your uncle intends keeping that money?"

She stared at him in utter amazement.

"Keeping it?" she repeated. "Why not? It is his. It belongs to him."

"Caroline, I'm afraid you don't know him, even yet. He was for going to
you at once and destroying the note in your presence. He would have done
it, but we persuaded him to wait and think it over for a day or two. He
did think and then decided to wait a little longer, for your sake."

"For my sake? For mine?" she passed her hand in a bewildered way across
her forehead. "Mr. Sylvester, I don't seem to understand even now. I--"

"For your sake, Caroline. Remember, at that time you were engaged to
Malcolm Dunn."

Her intent gaze wavered. She drew a long breath. "I see," she said,
slowly. "Oh.... I see."

"Yes. Captain Warren is one of the best judges of character I ever met.
The Dunns did not deceive him for one moment. He was certain Malcolm
intended marrying you because of your money; for that matter, so was I.
But his was the plan entirely which showed them to you as they were. He
knew you were too honest and straightforward to believe such things of
the man to whom you were engaged if they were told you; you must see the
proof with your own eyes. And he showed it to you."

"But then," she begged, distractedly, "why couldn't he tell me after
that? I--I am so stupid, I suppose--but, Mr. Sylvester, all this
is--is--"

"He might have told you then, but he did not think it best. Caroline,
your uncle has always believed in you. Even when you sent him from your
home he did not blame you; he said you were deceived, that was all.
But, too, he has always declared that you had been, as he expressed it,
'brought up wrong.' Your money had, in a way, warped your estimate of
people and things. He believed that, if you were given the opportunity,
you would learn that wealth does not, of itself, mean happiness. So
he decided not to tell you, not to give you back your share of your
father's money