se, without a word, and preceded Don Caesar
up-stairs into the drawing-room. The alien portrait on the wall seemed
to evidently take sides with Don Caesar, as against the common
intruder, Mulrady.

"I hoped the Senora Mulrady might have saved me this interview," said
the young man, stiffly; "or at least have given you some intimation of
the reason why I seek it. As you just now proposed my talking to you
in the presence of the unfortunate Senor Esslinn himself, it appears
she has not."

"I don't know what you're driving at, or what Mrs. Mulrady's got to do
with Slinn or you," said Mulrady, in angry uneasiness.

"Do I understand," said Don Caesar, sternly, "that Senora Mulrady has
not told you that I entrusted to her an important letter, belonging to
Senor Esslinn, which I had the honor to discover in the wood six months
ago, and which she said she would refer to you?"

"Letter?" echoed Mulrady, slowly; "my wife had a letter of Slinn's?"

Don Caesar regarded the millionaire attentively. "It is as I feared,"
he said, gravely. "You do not know or you would not have remained
silent." He then briefly recounted the story of his finding Slinn's
letter, his exhibition of it to the invalid, its disastrous effect upon
him, and his innocent discovery of the contents. "I believed myself at
that time on the eve of being allied with your family, Senor Mulrady,"
he said, haughtily; "and when I found myself in the possession of a
secret which affected its integrity and good name, I did not choose to
leave it in the helpless hands of its imbecile owner, or his sillier
children, but proposed to trust it to the care of the Senora, that she
and you might deal with it as became your honor and mine. I followed
her to Paris, and gave her the letter there. She affected to laugh at
any pretension of the writer, or any claim he might have on your
bounty; but she kept the letter, and, I fear, destroyed it. You will
understand, Senor Mulrady, that when I found that my attentions were no
longer agreeable to your daughter, I had no longer the right to speak
to you on the subject, nor could I, without misapprehension, force her
to return it. I should have still kept the secret to myself, if I had
not since my return here made the nearer acquaintance of Senor
Esslinn's daughters. I cannot present myself at his house, as a suitor
for the hand of the Senorita Vashti, until I have asked his absolution
for my complicity in the wrong that h