fe in your hands. Yes, Braden, he knew that you would not spend a penny
of it on yourself."

He was staring at her blankly. Mrs. Tresslyn was speaking now, but it is
doubtful if he heard a word that she uttered. He was intent only upon the
study of Anne's warm, excited face.

"Mr. Thorpe assured me a little over a year ago," began Anne's mother, a
hard light in her eyes, "that it was his determination to leave his
grandson out of his will altogether. It was his desire,--or at least, so he
said,--to remove from Braden's path every obstacle that might interfere
with his becoming a great man and a credit to his name. By that, of
course, he meant money unearned. He told me that most of his fortune was
to go to Charitable and Scientific Institutions. I had his solemn word of
honour that his grandson was to be in no sense a beneficiary under his
will. He--"

"Please, mother!" broke in Anne, a look of real shame in her eyes.

"And so how are we to reconcile this present foolishness with his very
laudable display of commonsense of a year ago?" went on Mrs. Tresslyn, the
red spot darkening in her cheek. "He played fast and loose with all of us.
I agree with Braden Thorpe. There was treachery in--"

"Ahem!" coughed Judge Hollenback so loudly and so pointedly that the angry
sentence was not completed.

Mrs. Tresslyn was furious. She had been cheated, and Anne had been
cheated. The old wretch had played a trick on all of them! He had bought
Anne for two millions, and now _nothing_,--absolutely _nothing_ was to go
to Charity! Braden was seven times a millionaire instead of a poor but
ambitious seeker after fame!

In the few minutes that followed Judge Hollenback's cough, she had time to
restore her equanimity to its habitual elevation. It had, for once,
stooped perilously near to catastrophe.

Meanwhile, her son George had arrived at a conclusion. He arose from his
chair with a wry face and a half uttered groan, and crossed over to
Braden's side. Strange, fierce pains were shooting through all the joints
and muscles of his body.

"See here, Brady, I'd like to ask a question, if you don't mind."

"I don't mind. What is it?"

"Would you have operated on Mr. Thorpe if you'd known what was in this
will?"

Braden hesitated, but only for a second. "Yes. My grandfather asked me to
operate. There was nothing else for me to do under the circumstances."

"That's just what I thought. Well, all I've got to say is that so long as