tful; people had treated him with deference; trades-people had
sought his patronage; subscription papers had poured in upon him from
all quarters, and in many ways he was made to feel that he was really
Crompton of Crompton, with a prospective income of many thousands. He
had gone over his uncle's papers, and knew exactly what he was worth,
and when his dividends and rents were due. He was a rich man, unless
they found something unexpected in Florida, and he did not believe they
would. It seemed impossible that if there were a marriage it should have
been kept secret so long. "My uncle would certainly have told it at the
last and not left a stain on Amy," he said to himself again and again,
and nearly succeeded in making himself believe that he had a right to be
where he was,--his uncle's heir and head of the house. Why no provision
was made for Amy he could not imagine. "But it will make no difference,"
he said; "I shall provide for her and Eloise."

At the thought of her his heart gave a great throb, for she was dearer
to him than he had supposed. "I believe I'd give up Crompton if I could
win her," he thought, "but that cannot be; Jack is the lucky fellow,"
and then he began to calculate how much he would give Amy out and out.
"She can live here, of course, if she will, but she must have something
of her own. Will twenty thousand be enough, or too much?" he said, and
from the sum total of the estate he subtracted twenty thousand dollars,
with so large a remainder that he decided to give her that amount in
bonds and mortgages, which would cause her as little trouble as
possible. There were some government bonds in a private drawer, through
which he had searched for a will. He would have a look at them and see
which were the more desirable for Amy. He had been through that drawer
three or four times, and there was no thought of the will now as he
opened it, wondering that it came so hard, as if something were binding
on the top or side. It shut harder, or, rather, it didn't shut at all,
and with a jerk he pulled it out to see what was the matter. As he did
so a folded sheet of foolscap, which had been lodged between the drawer
and the side of the desk, fell to the floor. With a presentiment of the
truth Howard took it up and read, "THE LAST WILL AND CONFESSION OF JAMES
CROMPTON!"

It had come at last, and, unfolding the sheet, Howard began to read,
glancing first at the date, which was a few weeks after Amy came from