he principal by
this time,--and you know best _why_ he hasn't had his own--I ain't blind
and nobody else here in Flamsted. And now I've come to ask you, if
you've got a woman's heart instead of a stone in your bosom, to make
over that principal and interest to the Quarry Company and save the boy
Louis Champney loved; he told me once what I knew, that his blood flowed
in that child's veins--"

"That's a lie--take that back!" she almost shrieked under her breath.
She started to her feet, trembling in every limb, her face twitching
painfully.

Octavius was appalled at the effect of his words; but he dared not
falter now--too much was at stake--although fearful of the effect of any
further excitement upon the woman before him. He spoke appeasingly:

"I can't take that back, for it's true, Mrs. Champney. You know as well
as I do that far back his mother was a Champney."

"Oh--I forgot." She dropped into her chair and drew a long breath as of
exhaustion. "What were you saying?" She passed her hand slowly over her
eyes, then put on her glasses. Octavius saw by that one movement that
she had regained her usual control. He, too, felt relieved, and spoke
more freely:

"I said I want you to make good that eighty thousand dollars--"

"Don't be a fool, Octavius Buzzby,"--she broke in upon him coldly, a
world of scornful pity in her voice,--"you mean well, but you're a fool
to think that at my time of life I'm going to impoverish myself and my
estate for Champney Googe. You've had your pains for nothing. Let him
take his punishment like any other man--he's no better, no worse; it's
the fault of his bringing up; Aurora has only herself to thank."

Octavius took a step forward. By a powerful effort he restrained himself
from shaking his fist in her face. He spoke under his breath:

"You leave Aurora's name out of this, Mrs. Champney, or I'll say things
that you'll be sorry to hear." His anger was roused to white heat and he
dared not trust himself to say more.

She laughed out loud--the forced, mocking laugh of a miserable old age.
"I knew from the first Aurora Googe was at the bottom of this--"

"She doesn't know anything about this, I came of--"

"You keep still till I finish," she commanded him, her faded eyes
sending forth something from behind her glasses that resembled blue
lightning; "I say she's at the bottom of this as she's been at the
bottom of everything else in Flamsted. She'll never have a penny of my
money,