was far from being the
King of Finance, which the world judged him to be. It is hard for me
to tell you this, but you must know, and you must try to believe that
your Heavenly Father is sending you this added trial for some sure
purpose of His own. Your father died a poor man, Anita. In fact, a
bankrupt." The girl looked up with an incredulous smile.

"Dr. Franklin, who could ever have asked you to come to me with such
an incredible assertion? Surely, you must know how preposterous the
very idea is! I do not boast or brag, but it is common knowledge that
my father was the richest man in the city, in this entire part of the
country, in fact. The thought of such a thing is absurd. Who could
have attempted to perpetrate such a senseless hoax, a ridiculous
insult to your intelligence and mine?"

The minister shook his head slowly.

"'Common knowledge' is, alas, not always trustworthy. It is only too
true that your father stood on the verge of bankruptcy. His entire
fortune has been swept away."

"Impossible!"

Anita started from her chair, impressed in spite of herself. "How
could that be? Who has told you this terrible thing?"

"The unfortunate news was disclosed to me confidentially by your late
father's truest friends and closest associates. Having your best
interests at heart, they feel that you should know the state of
affairs at once, and came to me as the one best fitted to inform
you."

"I cannot believe it!" Anita Lawton sank back with white, strained
face. "I cannot believe that it is true. How could such a thing have
happened? They must be mistaken--those who gave you such information.
Father was worth millions, at least. That I know, for he told me much
of his business affairs and up to the last day of his life he was
engaged in tremendous deals of almost national importance."

"Might he not have become so deeply involved in one of them that he
could not extricate himself, and ruin came?" Dr. Franklin insinuated.
"I know little of finance, of course; and those who wished you to know
gave me none of the details beyond the one paramount fact."

"I know, of course, who were your informants," Anita said. "No one
except my father's three closest associates had any possible
conception of how much he possessed, even approximately, for he was
always secretive and conservative in his dealings. Only to Mr.
Mallowe, Mr. Rockamore and Mr. Carlis did he ever divulge his plans to
the slightest extent. A bankrupt!