to the second question,
no crime was ever brought home to William Mainwaring; he was suspected
of dealing improperly with the funds of the bank, and he repaid the
alleged deficit by the sacrifice of all he possessed."

"This is the truth?" exclaimed Percival, joyfully.

"The plain truth, I believe; but why these questions at this moment? Ah,
you too, I see, have had letters,--I understand. Lady Mary gives these
reasons for withholding her consent."

"Her consent is not withheld," answered Percival; "but shall I own it?
Remember, I have your promise not to wound and offend Madame Dalibard by
the disclosure: my mother does refer to the subjects I have alluded to,
and Captain Greville, my old friend and tutor, is on his way to England;
perhaps to-morrow he may arrive at Laughton."

"Ha!" said Varney, startled, "to-morrow! And what sort of a man is this
Captain Greville?"

"The best man possible for such a case as mine,--kind-hearted, yet
cool, sagacious; the finest observer, the quickest judge of
character,--nothing escapes him. Oh, one interview will suffice to show
him all Helen's innocent and matchless excellence."

"To-morrow! this man comes to-morrow!"

"All that I fear is,--for he is rather rough and blunt in his
manner,--all that I fear is his first surprise, and, dare I say
displeasure, at seeing this poor Madame Dalibard, whose faults, I fear,
were graver than you suppose, at the house from which her uncle--to
whom, indeed, I owe this inheritance--"

"I see, I see!" interrupted Varney, quickly. "And Madame Dalibard is the
most susceptible of women,--so well-born and so poor, so gifted and so
helpless; it is natural. Can you not write, and put off this Captain
Greville for a few days,--until, indeed, I can find some excuse for
terminating our visit?"

"But my letter may be hardly in time to reach him; he may be in town
to-day."

"Go then to town at once; you can be back late at night, or at least
to-morrow. Anything better than wounding the pride of a woman on whom,
after all, you must depend for free and open intercourse with Helen."

"That is exactly what I thought of; but what excuse--"

"Excuse,--a thousand! Every man coming of age into such a property has
business with his lawyers. Or why not say simply that you want to meet
a friend of yours who has just left your mother in Italy? In short, any
excuse suffices, and none can be offensive."

"I will order my carriage instantly."

"Right!" exc