y partner. If you
wish us to act for you, I will bring pressure upon your father to have it
restored at once. There is not the smallest flaw in the will. We must
bring pressure."

"Undoubtedly--every pressure that the law will allow. Expose him. Shame
him. Humiliate him. Prosecute him, if need be."

"It is certainly a flagrant instance of the abuse of parental authority.
But a suit is quite unnecessary. Your father must hand over to you the
half-million, plus compound-interest for twenty-five years--an enormous
sum! There can be no possible question of your right to the money. If you
wish us to advance anything more--seven thousand dollars is a very small
sum--we shall be most happy."

"I cannot believe it all yet, Mr. Jevons. I am so accustomed to penury
and debt that it sounds like a fairy story. There is one other matter I
wish to speak to you about. My son--my son is in trouble. Two checks,
signed by my father, for small amounts were altered to larger ones, and
cashed at our local bank. The amount in dispute came to seven thousand
dollars, and my father declines to be responsible, and wants to force the
bank to lose the money. That is why I wanted this check. If I pay them
back with this money, the affair will be ended, and nothing more can be
said about it. That is so?"

"Dear, dear! Raising checks!"

"Yes--it was wrong. But it was all my father's fault. He refused to give
me money when--but that's nothing to do with it. I want you to tell me it
will be all right when the money is paid."

"It depends entirely on the bank. Surely, your father will hush the
matter up."

"No, he wishes us to be disgraced--ruined--just because my husband is a
clergyman, and I married contrary to his wishes. He never forgives."

"But that was so many years ago! Surely, he won't question the checks."

"He has done so--and a warrant is out for my son's arrest."

"Dear, dear--that is very serious. I should take the money to the bank,
and see what they can do. If the police have knowledge of the felony,
they may take action on their own account, but these things can often be
hushed up. I should advise you to see the responsible person at the bank.
Do you know him?"

"Oh, yes, he's a friend--at least I'm afraid he's not much of a friend to
my son."

"Well, it's a matter where a solicitor had better not interfere. The
fewer people who have cognizance of the fact that the law has been
broken, the better."

"I'll do as you advi