I got into
debt at school. It was not very much of a debt for a fellow with such a
rich sister."

He paused, rather taken aback by the quick glance that was shot at him
from the mild blue eyes of his Quaker cousin.

"What does thee call 'not much'?"

"A hundred dollars. I knew they would think it a lot, so I only told
Hessie and John fifty, and she gave it to me. Afterwards the fellow I
owed it to came down on me for the rest, and wrote to John, Hessie's
husband. In the mean time I had got hold of some money in a _perfectly
fair, honorable_ way, and sent it to the fellow, and he wrote again to
John Franklin and said I had paid up. Then, just because a present one
of the Franklin children expected at that time didn't come, they accused
me of taking it. They had no earthly reason for supposing it except that
I paid fifty dollars in gold for the money-order I sent, and the child's
present was fifty dollars in gold."

"And where did thee get the money?"

The question came so quietly and naturally that Neal was taken unawares,
and answered before he thought.

"Cynthia Franklin lent it to me. I hated to borrow of a girl, and I made
her promise not to tell; afterwards I was glad I had. If they choose to
suspect me, I'm not going to lower myself by explaining. And I will ask
you, as a particular favor, Cousin William, not to tell any one. I
didn't mean to mention it."

His cousin merely bowed, and asked him to continue.

"Well, there's not much more, except that I was suspended from school
before that for a scrape I wasn't in, and it put everybody against me,
and now I want to get something to do. I am going to support myself, and
I thought I'd come to you, as you're my guardian and a cousin, and
perhaps you would help me."

"Did thee know that thy brother-in-law, John Franklin, was here within a
few days?"

Neal sprang to his feet.

"He was! Then he told you all this. I might have known it!"

"Thee may as well remain calm, Neal. Thee will gain nothing in this
world by giving vent to undue excitement. John Franklin told me nothing,
except that thee had left his home, and he had supposed thee was with
me. He did not tell me of the gold, but he did say he feared thee was
extravagant, in which I agreed with him. Thee has nothing to find fault
with in what he said."

Neal felt rather ashamed of himself. After all, it had been generous in
his brother-in-law not to prejudice his guardian against him.

"And now wha