Won't you let me do that?"

Thorpe was thinking that it would be easy enough to obtain Wallace
Carpenter's consent to his taking a thousand dollars from the profits
of the year. But he knew also that the struggle in the courts might need
every cent the new company could spare. It would look much better were
he to wait until after the verdict. If favorable, there would be no
difficulty about sparing the money. If adverse, there would be no money
to spare. The latter contingency he did not seriously anticipate, but
still it had to be considered. And so, until the thing was absolutely
certain, he hesitated to explain the situation to Helen for fear of
disappointing her!

"I think you'd better wait, Helen," said he. "There'll be time enough
for all that later when it becomes necessary. You are very young yet,
and it will not hurt you a bit to continue your education for a little
while longer."

"And in the meantime stay with Mrs. Renwick?" flashed Helen.

"Yes. I hope it will not have to be for very long."

"How long do you think, Harry?" pleaded the girl.

"That depends on circumstances," replied Thorpe

"Oh!" she cried indignantly.

"Harry," she ventured after a time, "why not write to Uncle Amos?"

Thorpe stopped and looked at her searchingly.

"You can't mean that, Helen," he said, drawing a long breath.

"But why not?" she persisted.

"You ought to know."

"Who would have done any different? If you had a brother and discovered
that he had--appropriated--most all the money of a concern of which you
were president, wouldn't you think it your duty to have him arrested?"

"No!" cried Thorpe suddenly excited. "Never! If he was my brother, I'd
help him, even if he'd committed murder!"

"We differ there," replied the girl coldly. "I consider that Uncle
Amos was a strong man who did his duty as he saw it, in spite of his
feelings. That he had father arrested is nothing against him in my eyes.
And his wanting us to come to him since, seems to me very generous. I am
going to write to him."

"You will do nothing of the kind," commanded Thorpe sternly. "Amos
Thorpe is an unscrupulous man who became unscrupulously rich. He
deliberately used our father as a tool, and then destroyed him. I
consider that anyone of our family who would have anything to do with
him is a traitor!"

The girl did not reply.

Next morning Thorpe felt uneasily repentant for his strong language.
After all, the girl did lead a monotonous