oon. Mrs. Parker, knowing that strength
for her journey home would be necessary to her, remembering that she
would have to walk all through the city to the Bishopsgate Street
station, did take some refreshment, and permitted herself to drink
the glass of sherry that her late enemy had benignantly poured out
for her.

Emily had been nearly half-an-hour with her father before Mr.
Wharton's heavy step was heard upon the stairs. And when he reached
the dining-room door he paused a moment before he ventured to turn
the lock. He had not told Emily what he would do, and had hardly as
yet made up his own mind. As every fresh call was made upon him, his
hatred for the memory of the man who had stepped in and disturbed his
whole life, and turned all the mellow satisfaction of his evening
into storm and gloom, was of course increased. The scoundrel's
name was so odious to him that he could hardly keep himself from
shuddering visibly before his daughter even when the servants called
her by it. But yet he had determined that he would devote himself to
save her from further suffering. It had been her fault, no doubt. But
she was expiating it in very sackcloth and ashes, and he would add
nothing to the burden on her back. He would pay, and pay, and pay,
merely remembering that what he paid must be deducted from her share
of his property. He had never intended to make what is called an
elder son of Everett, and now there was less necessity than ever
that he should do so, as Everett had become an elder son in another
direction. He could satisfy almost any demand that might be made
without material injury to himself. But these demands, one after
another, scalded him by their frequency, and by the baseness of the
man who had occasioned them. His daughter had now repeated to him
with sobbings and wailings the whole story as it had been told to her
by the woman downstairs. "Papa," she had said, "I don't know how to
tell you or how not." Then he had encouraged her, and had listened
without saying a word. He had endeavoured not even to shrink as the
charge of forgery was repeated to him by his own child,--the widow
of the guilty man. He endeavoured not to remember at the moment that
she had claimed this wretch as the chosen one of her maiden heart, in
opposition to all his wishes. It hardly occurred to him to disbelieve
the accusation. It was so probable! What was there to hinder the
man from forgery, if he could only make it believed that h