was. When I left school he
traveled all over Europe with me, and he guarded my financial
interests as carefully as if they were his own. And I gave him a great
affection, and a very sincere obedience to all his wishes and advice.
At first he seemed to favor my liking for Neil, but he soon grew
furiously jealous, and then all was very unpleasant. Neil complained
to me. He said he did not want me to take my brother's opinion without
saying a few words in his own behalf, and so I soon began to take
Neil's side. Then day by day things grew worse and worse, and partly
because I liked Neil, and partly because I was angry at Reginald, and
weary of his exacting authority, I became Neil's wife."

"That was an engagement for a' the days of your life. You hae broken
it."

"The law excused and encouraged me to do so."

"Were you happy in that course?"

"About as unhappy as I could be. I was sure Neil had been hardly dealt
with, that advantage had been taken of his terror and grief, when he
found himself in prison. I am sure the lawyer he employed was really
seeking Reginald's favor, and practically gave Neil's case away, but I
was angry at Neil's want of spirit and pluck, in his own defense.
Reginald told me that he cried in the dock, and I shed a few
passionate tears over his want of courage and manliness."

"Poor Neil! If you had stood by him, he would have stood by himself.
Remember, Roberta, that he was only just out of his college classes,
and had had neither time nor opportunity to make friends; that his
mither was dying, and that we had no money to defend him; that his
wife had deserted him, and that he is naturally a man of little
courage, and you will judge him very leniently."

"Reginald told me he was saving money in order to run away from me,
and----"

"If he was saving money to run awa' with, he intended to take you with
him. If he was going awa' alone, a few pounds would hae been all he
needed. And it seems to me you were the runaway from love and duty.
But it is little matter now, who was most to blame. Life is all
repenting and beginning again, and that is everything that can be done
in this case."

"I will start for New York tomorrow. Can you get Doctor Trenabie here
for me?"

"Do you know him?"

"He is a distant relative both of the Raths and the Ballisters."

"He never said a word about his relationship, to me."

"It would have been most unlike him had he done so, but I can tell
you, he wrote me