Only the sweet-faced mother, strong in her mother-love and in her
faith in God, believed that he would yet return, and was content to
watch and wait.

Meantime, Everard Houston had become like a son to Mr. and Mrs.
Cameron. After leaving college, he had been taken by his uncle as a
partner into his enormous banking house, and intrusted more or less
with the charge of various departments of business with which he was
connected, and he had proven himself worthy of the trust reposed in
him.

For a number of years, Mr. Cameron had been president of a large
investment company, which, among other properties, owned a number of
mines in the west which had been represented to be very valuable, and
which, at the time of purchase, possessed every indication of being
heavy producers of very rich ore. Lately, these mines had not been
yielding the profit which it was reasonable to expect from them, and
there were indications of bad management, if not of dishonesty, at the
western end of the line. One or two so-called experts had been sent
out to investigate, but they had after all so little knowledge of
practical mining, that they were unable to produce any tangible
evidence against the company who constituted their western agents,
although their reports had only tended to strengthen Mr. Cameron's
belief that there was underhanded and dishonest dealing somewhere,
which could only be detected by a person on the ground whom the
western company would not suspect of being personally interested.
Happening to learn, through a Chicago firm who were friends of Mr.
Cameron's, that the western company were desirous of getting a
bookkeeper and confidential clerk, it was decided, after consultation,
to send out Everard Houston to take this position. Accordingly, he had
gone to Chicago, and the firm there had written a letter to the mining
company, recommending him as a young man of their acquaintance, of
exceptional ability, reliable, and thoroughly to be trusted in all
confidential matters. The company had responded favorably, offering
the position to Mr. Houston for one month on trial, at one hundred
dollars, his traveling expenses to be paid by them. If he proved
satisfactory, they would retain him as long as would be mutually
agreeable, and if his services proved as valuable as expected, would
increase his salary. Mr. Houston was, therefore, on his way to the
mines to accept this position, together with the munificent salary,
and hoped t