, sir."

"Yes, but not here--not till you get home. Leave me now; I can bear no
more. Go down and send up your aunt. I must take something--and sleep.
I have had no rest for nights and nights, and I thought I should die
before I had time to confess to you, Tom. But you forgive me, my boy--
you forgive me?"

"Yes, uncle, once again I forgive you."

"Now go," cried the invalid, catching at and kissing the boy's cold
hand. "Don't stop here; go back home, for fear, Tom."

"For fear of what, uncle? you are not so bad as that."

"For fear," panted the sick man, with a strange cough, "for fear I
should try to get them back. Quick! go.--Now I can sleep and rest."

Tom went down, looking very strange, and found his aunt waiting
anxiously.

"He is better, aunt," said Tom quietly. "You are to go up to him at
once."

Aunt Fanny almost ran out of the room, and as soon as they were alone
Tom turned to his uncle.

"We are to go back home directly," he said.

"What, with him so bad! What about your business?"

"It is all done, uncle; and I am to take you back home, and tell you
there."

"Pish! why so much mystery, Tom?"

"It is Uncle James's wish, Uncle Richard," said Tom gravely.

"It was business then?"

"Very important."

"And we are to go?"

"Yes, at once. I want to go too, uncle, for I feel as if I could not
breathe here. Don't speak to me; don't ask me anything till we get
back, and then I'll tell you all."

"This is a strange business, Tom," said Uncle Richard, "but it is his
wish then. Well, we will go."

That night Tom sat in his uncle's study, and told of his interview with
the sick man, while his hearer slowly turned his head more and more
away, till the little narrative was at an end. Once, as he spoke, Tom
heard the words muttered--

"A scoundrel! My own brother too."

Then Uncle Richard was very silent, and his face was pale and strange,
as he took the packet from his nephew's hand.

"He must have been half mad, my boy," he said huskily, "or he would not
have done this thing. This must be our secret, Tom--a family secret,
never mentioned for all our sakes. We'll put the deeds in the old
bureau to-morrow, and try and forget it all till the proper time comes.
There, I'm better now. Glad too, very glad, Tom. First that he
repented of the wrong-doing, and glad that you are so independent, my
boy. It was always a puzzle to me that your poor mother should have
left you so badly o