, his own Bank Manager's
wife, Mrs. Gray.

"Oh, Reggie!" she said with a sort of gasp, "oh, Reggie, whatever
shall I do? Look!"

CHAPTER XII.

MASTER AND MAN.

Reggie looked in the direction indicated. Down a vista of pink and
white apple blossom that seemed in its pure loveliness to emphasize
the miserableness and shame of sin, came two men, stumbling and
laughing and stumbling again and holding each other up. One was Mr.
Gray, the Bank Manager, the other, as Reggie guessed in a moment, was
Howard Bushman, of whom he had just heard.

One glance was enough for Reggie, and his eyes came back to his
companion. She was white and shivering.

"Oh Reggie!" she said again, "help him, do help him, it will ruin
him."

Just behind her was a small summer-house. It came to Reggie all in a
moment what to do.

"Go and sit down in there," he said gently, "and when Mr. Gray comes,
keep him with you till I get back."

Then he went swiftly to meet that stumbling, laughing pair, and he
spoke as gently as he had done to the poor wife.

"Mrs. Gray is sitting down in that summer-house," he said, "I think
she wants you. Will you stay with her while I run to the house for
something?"

The Bank Manager laughed foolishly.

"He! He! Reggie! Looking after the ladies, as usual! Bring some
champagne, my lad, and we'll have a nice little spree on the quiet."

But Reggie had not waited for directions.

He walked swiftly towards the house, but he did not wish to appear
hurried or to be on any secret errand, and as he went his thoughts
flew hither and thither bewilderingly.

For this man was his master. This man whom he had been asked to help,
had much of the making or marring of Reggie's prospects in his hand,
and to interfere, especially in such a delicate matter, was almost
certainly to incur more anger, more abiding, unredeemable displeasure,
than for any other misdemeanour.

And yet, for four months Reggie had been praying for this very man!

Three years before, when Charlie Henchman had come to the engineering
college in the town, he had sought out the loneliest fellow that he
knew and for Christ's sake had endeavoured to cheer and uplift and
help him by just being companionable to him. And the loneliest
fellow that Charlie knew was Reggie Alston, and after they had been
companions for quite a long time they found out that they both
knew the Brougham family, a link which drew them to be more than
companions,--to be