ipped of all he had, ruined, disgraced, he
stood like one amazed at the suddenness of his own fall. He had built
his castles on sand, and now found them tumbling down, and crushing him
under the ruin. His avaricious nature had led him, not only to wrong,
but to bring distress and ruin on the unsuspecting and simple-minded
Dutch settlers. The wheel of fortune was turned now. He had himself been
ruined, betrayed, and disgraced by the very men he had put confidence in
and made partners of his guilt. He also had set a snare and invented a
plot by which he expected to strip honest old Hanz Toodleburg of his
property, and now he had been caught in it himself.

His daughter, Mattie, had already disclosed to him the fact that she had
overheard the conversation between him and Topman, relative to the
manner of entrapping Hanz, and knew the secret of their plot. And she
had appealed to him to save her the pain of bearing testimony that would
conflict with his, to save an honest old man from poverty. The man of
great progressive ideas now found it necessary to invent some way of
escaping from what he saw would be worse than ruin and disgrace--a
criminal's doom. His name had not appeared in the suit Topman & Gusher
brought against Hanz Toodleburg. Oh, no. Chapman was needed as a witness
to prove the signing of the papers, and all the circumstances relating
to the sale of the secret of Kidd's treasure. Poverty and misfortune had
now stepped in to purify and direct a smitten conscience.

He could not see his daughter further disgraced. Nor could he meet her
in a court, giving testimony in conflict with his, and exposing his
crime. He could only escape by coming out boldly, and doing justice to
the old man he had tried so hard to wrong. It would also be to his
advantage to assume this virtue, for if the case were decided against
Hanz he would gain nothing. The creditors would in that case get all the
property, whereas, if he confessed his partnership in, and exposed the
plot, and defeated the creditors, some benefit might result from it--at
some time. The son might still be alive, Chapman said to himself, and if
he should form a connection with the family at some future day, (and
there was no knowing what might happen,) why it was better to protect
Hanz and the property now. He well knew that Mattie had fixed her
affection on the young gentleman, and if he should ever return, nothing
her mother could say hereafter would prevent their