pposed the marriage," continued Mr. Reed; "but the
poor girl, reasonable in everything else, would listen neither to
argument nor to appeal. She was sure that in time we would know him and
believe in him as she did. I would not even attend the wedding, which
took place at her friend's house; though, by the terms of my father's
will, and very much against our judgment, my brother Wolcott and myself,
who were her guardians up to the date of her marriage, gave up to her
unconditionally one-third of the family estate on her wedding-day. The
result was as we had feared. They sailed immediately for England, and
there, he entered into various wild speculations, and in less than two
years the little fortune was utterly gone."

"Can you prove it?" interrupted Mr. Slade, suspiciously.

"Meantime," said Mr. Reed, looking at him as though he were a vicious
spaniel, "my brother had married, and had gone with his bride to Europe,
intending to remain two years. In a twelvemonth his wife became the
mother of twins, a boy and a girl, and before two weeks had passed their
father was stricken with fever, and died. News then came to me, not only
of my brother's death, but also that my sister Kate had become
destitute, and had been too proud to let us know of her misfortunes, and
finally, that at the time the letter was written, she and her husband,
with their baby daughter, then only three weeks old, were living solely
on the bounty of Wolcott's widow.

"There was but one thing to be done. The widow was broken-hearted,
totally unable to attend to her business affairs, and Kate's husband,
Mr. Robertson, was the last man whom I could trust to do it for her. But
he at least could accompany the party to America, and I sent word for
both families to come as soon as they could safely bring the three
babies; and charged Mr. Robertson to leave nothing undone which could
tend to their comfort and safety on the voyage.

"They sailed--" Here Mr. Reed paused, bracing himself for the remainder
of the recital, which he had resolved should be complete and full. He
had at hand legal papers proving that his adopted sister Kate, at the
time of her marriage, had received her rightful third of his father's
estate; but he did not feel in any way compelled to show these to his
unpleasant visitor.

Eben Slade for an instant respected the silence. But he had a point to
gain.

"Yes," said he, "but this is sudden news as to the loss of her property.
I don't