r," she said. "I
had better ask his advice."

Trent nodded and she withdrew. The three were left alone, Ernestine and
Francis remained apart as though by design. Trent was silent.

She returned in a moment or two.

"Sir Henry has not quite finished his examination, sir," she announced.
"The young lady can come up in half an hour."

Again they were left alone. Then Trent crossed the room and stood
between them and the door.

"Before you see your father, Miss Wendermott," he said, "I have an
explanation to make to you!"

CHAPTER XLI

He looked at him calmly, but in her set, white face he seemed to read
already his sentence!

"Do you think it worth while, Mr. Trent? There is so much, as you put
it, to be explained, that the task, even to a man of your versatility,
seems hopeless!"

"I shall not trouble you long," he said. "At least one man's word should
be as good as another's--and you have listened to what my enemy"--he
motioned towards Francis--"has to say."

Francis shrugged his shoulders.

"I can assure you," he interrupted, "that I have no feeling of enmity
towards you in the slightest. My opinion you know. I have never troubled
to conceal it. But I deny that I am prejudiced by any personal feeling."

Trent ignored his speech.

"What I have to say to you," he continued addressing Ernestine, "I want
to say before you see your father. I won't take up your time. I won't
waste words. I take you back ten years to when I met him at Attra and we
became partners in a certain enterprise. Your father at that time was a
harmless wreck of a man who was fast killing himself with brandy. He
had some money, I had none. With it we bought the necessary outfit and
presents for my enterprise and started for Bekwando. The whole of the
work fell to my share, and with great trouble I succeeded in obtaining
the concessions we were working for. Your father spent all his time
drinking, and playing cards, when I would play with him. The agreement
as to the sharing of the profits was drawn up, it is true, by me, but at
that time he made no word of complaint. I had no relations, he described
himself as cut off wholly from his. It was here Francis first came
on the scene. He found your father half drunk, and when he read the
agreement it was plain what he thought. He thought that I was letting
your father kill himself that the whole thing might be mine. He has
probably told you so. I deny it. I did all I could to keep him s