of
satisfaction. "I thought you'd come to your senses."

"You are mistaken as to my intention. I want to speak to you about your
sister--formerly Mrs. Thorne."

"What do you know about her?" asked the man, in extreme astonishment.

"A good deal. She is my step-mother."

"What! Are you the son of the man she married?" asked Dick, eagerly.

"I am Jasper Kent."

"That's the name. So she sent you out to me, did she? That's better than
I thought She hasn't forgotten her brother, after all."

"No; you are mistaken," said Jasper. "She never so much as told me she
had a brother."

Dick looked disappointed. Then, with sudden suspicion, he said, roughly:

"I believe you are lying. This Jasper Kent is rich--the heir of
two-thirds of his father's property. You say you are penniless."

"That is true. Both stories are true. I am my father's principal heir,
but your sister is my guardian. She has treated me in such a way that I
left the house."

"Ran away, eh?"

"No, I gave her full notice of what I should do. I told her that if I
were decently treated I would stay, but if she continued to insult me,
and give the preference in all things to her own boy, Nicholas, I would
go away."

"You haven't been such a fool as to go off and leave all your property
in her hands?"

"I shall come in possession of it when I am twenty-one. Till then I will
try to support myself."

"Come, boy, you're plucky. I'm glad you came, after all. I want to hear
more about my sister's affairs. Come down stairs, and we'll talk."

Dick appeared suddenly to have forgotten his animosity. He became even
friendly in his manner, as he gave our hero this invitation.

"Old woman," said he, addressing his wife, "can't you rake up something
for this boy to eat? I dare say he is hungry."

"I don't think we've got anything more in the house."

"I'll go out directly and get something. Come down, boy, I want to ask
you a few more questions."

They went down stairs, followed by the wife. She was happily relieved by
the unexpected good understanding between her husband and Jasper.

"Now tell me," said Dick, eagerly, when they were in the lower room,
"how much property has my sister got?"

"Probably between thirty and forty thousand dollars."

"As much as that?" said Dick, complacently. "Well, she has feathered her
nest well."

"I don't like Mrs. Kent," said Jasper. "Though she is your sister, I am
obliged to say that, but it is not at all on account