Squire Marlowe work at the bench?"

"Yes, his position was precisely the same as your father's, no worse and
no better. Both received the same pay--two dollars a day."

"Does Percy know this?"

"Probably not. Albert Marlowe is not fond of speaking of his early days
when he was a common workman. At that time our families were intimate
and associated on equal terms. Our circumstances and ways of living were
the same. We lived in a double house, Albert occupying one tenement, we
the other."

"Were you and Mrs. Marlowe friendly then?"

"Yes; she had not yet become a fine lady, but did her own work,
dispensing with a servant. We lived plainly, and, if anything, your
father was the more prosperous of the two, as we managed to save from
fifty to seventy-five dollars a year, while I don't believe Albert saved
anything. But one day a terrible thing happened. Mr. Weeks, the senior
partner, was a trustee and guardian for some minor children. A part of
their property was invested in United States bonds, 5-20's as they are
called. He kept them in his safe in the factory. One morning when he
opened the safe they were missing. You can imagine the dismay of the
guardian and his indignation against the unknown thief. The loss was
publicly proclaimed, and a reward of one hundred dollars was offered to
any one who could and would give any information that would lead to the
discovery of the thief. Some one--a young man named Harding--entered the
office of the firm and informed them that he had seen your father
thrusting a paper, looking like a government bond, into the inside
pocket of his overcoat--it was in the middle of winter. The workmen kept
their coats in a small room near the entrance of the factory. Of course
the room was visited, your father's coat was examined, and in one of the
pockets was found one of the missing bonds, one for five hundred
dollars. Your father was summoned, charged with the theft, and required
to tell what he had done with the remaining bonds. He was
thunder-struck at the accusation, and denied in the most positive terms
any knowledge of the stolen property. His statement was not credited. He
was arrested, tried for the offense, and sentenced to a term of
imprisonment."

"Bert's face flushed with indignation, and he clinched his fist almost
unconsciously.

"Did he go to prison?" he asked hoarsely.

"No; some of his friends, who believed in his innocence, helped him to
escape, and supplied him with f