o say?

"I know no harm of him," she answered.

"Then I will enlighten you. Hugo Luttrell knew that Brian was alive,
that I was in England, two months ago. A letter from the Prior of San
Stefano must have been in some way intercepted by him; he made use of
his knowledge, however he obtained it, to bring the messages from Brian
which were utterly false, to try and induce me to relinquish my claim on
you; he forged a letter from Brian for that purpose; and finally----"

Mrs. Luttrell's voice, harsh and strident with emotion, against which
she did her best to fight, broke the sudden silence.

"Do you call it fair and right," she said, "to accuse a man of such
faults as these behind his back? If you want to tell me anything against
Hugo, send for him and tell it to me in his presence. Then he can defend
himself."

"He will try to defend himself, no doubt," said Dino, with a note of
melancholy scorn in his grave, young voice. "But I will do nothing
behind his back. You wish him to be summoned?"

"Yes, I do. Ring the bell instantly!" cried Mrs. Luttrell, whose loving
ardour seemed to have given way to the most unmitigated resentment.

"Tell the servants to find him and bring him here."

"They would not have far to go," said Dino, coolly. "He is close to
hand. Hugo Luttrell, come here and answer for yourself."

"What do you mean? Where is he?" exclaimed Mrs. Luttrell, struck with
his tone of command. "He is not in this room!"

"No, but he is in the next, hiding behind that screen. He has been there
for the last half-hour. You need play the spy no longer, sir. Have the
goodness to step forward and show yourself."

The inexorable sternness of his voice struck the listeners with amaze.
Pale as a ghost, trembling like an aspen leaf, Hugo emerged from his
hiding-place, and confronted the mother and the son.

CHAPTER XXXII.

RETRIBUTION.

"Confess!" said Dino, whose stern voice and outstretched, pointing
finger seemed terrible as those of some accusing and avenging angel to
the wretched culprit. "Confess that I have only told the truth. Confess
that you lied and forged and cheated | to gain your own ends. Confess
that when other means failed you tried to kill me. Confess--and
then"--with a sudden lowering of his tones to the most wonderful
exquisite tenderness--"God knows that I shall be ready to forgive!"

But the last words passed unheeded. Hugo cowered before his eye, covered
his ears with his hands, and