neither I nor those for whom I am concerned have any wish to bear
more heavily than we can help upon your husband, if he will only come
forward with willingness to do that which we can make him do either
willingly or unwillingly."

"But what was it about Abraham's letter, sir?"

"Well, it does not so much signify now."

"It was he sent you here, was it, sir? How has he learned where we
are, Mary?" and the poor woman turned to her daughter. "The truth is,
sir, he has never known anything of us for these twenty years; nor we
of him. I have not set eyes on him for more than twenty years,--not
that I know of. And he never knew me by any other name than Swan, and
when he was a child he took me for his aunt."

"He hasn't known then that you and his father were husband and wife?"

"I have always thought he didn't, sir. But how--"

Then after all the young fox had not been so full of craft as the
elder one, thought Mr. Prendergast to himself. But nevertheless, he
still liked the old fox best. There are foxes that run so uncommonly
short that you can never get a burst after them.

"I suppose, Mrs. Swan," continued Mr. Prendergast, "that you have
heard the name of Fitzgerald?"

The poor woman sat silent and amazed, but after a moment the daughter
answered him. "My mother, sir, would rather that you should ask her
no questions."

"But, my good girl, your mother, I suppose, would wish to protect
your father, and she would not wish to answer these questions in a
court of law."

"Heaven forbid!" said the poor woman.

"Your father has behaved very badly to an unfortunate lady whose
friend I am, and on her behalf I must learn the truth."

"He has behaved badly, sir, to a great many ladies," said Mrs. Swan,
or Mrs. Mollett as we may now call her.

"You are aware, are you not, that he went through a form of marriage
with this lady many years ago?" said Mr. Prendergast, almost
severely.

"Let him answer for himself," said the true wife. "Mary, go up
stairs, and ask your father to come down."

CHAPTER XL.

THE FOX IN HIS EARTH.

Mary Swan the younger hesitated a moment before she executed her
mother's order, not saying anything, but looking doubtfully up into
her mother's face. "Go, my dear," said the old woman, "and ask your
father to come down. It is no use denying him."

"None in the least," said Mr. Prendergast; and then the daughter
went.

For ten minutes the lawyer and the old woman sat alone, durin