that her mother is very ill," proceeded the young man,
referring again to the letter.

"Whisht, sir; the poor lady's dyin', sir," said Kate in a tone of awe.

"Dying!" exclaimed Royal Bryant, aghast.

"Yes, sir; she has consumption; and just afther the officer--bad luck
to 'im!--took the young lady away, she had a bad coughin' spell, and
burst a blood-vessel, and she has been failin' ever since," the woman
explained, with trembling lips.

"Who is with Mrs. Allandale now?" questioned Mr. Bryant, with a look
of deep anxiety.

"The docthor, sir; he promised to stay wid her till I come back."

"Well, then, Mrs. O'Brien, if you will be good enough to hurry back
and care for Mrs. Allandale, I will go at once to her daughter; and I
am very sure that I can secure her release within a short time. Tell
her mother so, and that I will send her home immediately upon her
release."

"Bless yer kind heart!" cried the woman, heartily, and she hurried
away to take the blessed news to Edith's fast-failing mother.

The moment the door closed after her, Royal Bryant seized his overcoat
and began to put it on again, his face aflame with mingled indignation
and mortification.

"In a common city lock-up for the crime of passing counterfeit money!"
he muttered, hoarsely. "And to think that I brought such a fate upon
her!--I, who would suffer torture to save her a pang. Two nights and
an endless day, and her mother dying at home!--how she must have
suffered! I could go down upon my knees to ask her pardon, and yet I
cannot understand it. That money came directly from the bank into my
possession."

He was just fastening the last button of his coat when there came a
knock upon his door.

"Come in," he said, but frowning with impatience at the unwelcome
interruption and the probable detention which it portended.

An instant later a rather common-looking man, of perhaps forty years,
entered the room.

"Ah, Mr. Knowles! good-morning, good-morning," said young Bryant, with
his habitual cordiality. "What can I do for you to-day?"

"I--I have called to pay an installment upon what I owe you, Mr.
Bryant," the man responded, flushing slightly beneath the genial
glance of the lawyer.

"Ah, yes; I had forgotten that this was the date for the payment. I
hope, however, that you are not inconveniencing yourself in making it
to-day," remarked the young lawyer, as he observed that his client was
paler than usual and wore an anxious, care-worn