and then he said something that made
Edith wince. He spoke of Neal, and was sorry he had gone to the bad
altogether. Had he really disappeared?

Edith hesitated; she had not the ready wit with which Cynthia would have
parried the question.

"We think he is in Philadelphia," she said, finally.

Bronson laughed.

"Hardly," he said; "I saw him in Boston a day or two ago. He looked
rather seedy, I thought, and I felt sorry for him, but I didn't stop and
speak. Thought it wouldn't do, don't you know; and I'm glad I didn't, as
you feel this way."

"I hardly know what you mean," said Edith, somewhat distantly; "we are
sorry Neal went away, that is all."

Though she thought he must have taken the money, Edith felt obliged to
defend Neal for the sake of the family honor. She had suffered extremely
from the talk that there had been in Brenton: she did so dislike to be
talked about, and this affair had given rise to much gossip.

"You are very good to say that," said Bronson. "How generous you are not
to acknowledge that Gordon stole the money to pay me."

"Stole!" repeated Edith, shuddering.

"I beg pardon, I shouldn't have stated it so broadly; but I'm so mixed
up in it, don't you know. It was really my fault, you see, that he felt
obliged to--er--to take it. But, of course, I'd no idea it would lead to
any such thing as this. I fancied Gordon could get hold of as much money
as he wanted by perfectly fair means. Will you believe me, Miss Edith,
when I tell you how awfully sorry I am that I should have indirectly
caused you any annoyance?"

He looked very handsome, and Edith could not see the expression of
triumph in his steely eyes. It was nice of him, perhaps, to say this,
even though there was something "out" in his way of doing it.

What was it about Bronson that always affected her thus, even though she
liked him, and was flattered by his attentions? She said to herself that
it was merely the effect of Cynthia's outspoken dislike. Unreasonable
though it was, it influenced her.

But now it came over Edith with overwhelming force that she had done
very wrong to come with Tony Bronson this afternoon. She was disobeying
her step-mother, besides acting most deceitfully. Yes; she had
deliberately deceived Mrs. Franklin when she wrote the note the day
before; for had she not had it in her mind then to allow herself to be
over-persuaded in regard to the drive? These thoughts made Edith very
silent.

And then they h