at that
time?"

"Yes; just at that time I was thrown from my horse, and could not do as
much as I had been doing, so Mr. Avery was sent to Father."

"Then Mr. Avery was reading to him at the time you speak of--the time
of the Latron murder?"

"No; Mr. Avery came just afterward. I was reading to him at that time."

"No one but you?"

"No one. Before that he had had Mr. Blatchford read to him sometimes,
but--poor Cousin Wallace!--he made a terrible mistake in reading to
Father once. Father discovered it before it was too late; and he never
let Cousin Wallace know. He pretends to trust Cousin Wallace now with
reading some things; but he always has Mr. Avery or me go over them
with him afterward."

"The papers must have been a good deal for a girl of eighteen."

"At that time, you mean? They were; but Father dared trust no one
else."

"Mr. Avery handles those matters now for your father?"

"The continuation of what was going on then? Yes; he took them up at
the time I was hurt and so has kept on looking after them; for there
has been plenty for me to do without that; and those things have all
been more or less settled now. They have worked themselves out as
things do, though they seemed almost unsolvable at the time. One thing
that helped in their solution was that Father was able, that time, to
urge what was just, as well as what was advisable."

"You mean that in the final settlement of them no one suffered?"

"No one, I think--except, of course, poor Mr. Latron; and that was a
private matter not connected in any direct way with the questions at
issue. Why do you ask all this, Mr. Eaton?"

"I was merely interested in you--in what your work has been with your
father, and what it is," he answered quietly.

His step had slowed, and she, unconsciously, had delayed with him. Now
she realized that his manner toward her had changed from what it had
been a few minutes before; he had been strongly moved and drawn toward
her then, ready to confide in her; now he showed only his usual quiet
reserve--polite, casual, unreadable. She halted and faced him,
abruptly, chilled with disappointment.

"Mr. Eaton," she demanded, "a few minutes ago you were going to tell me
something about yourself; you seemed almost ready to speak; now--"

"Now I am not, you mean?"

"Yes; what has changed you? Is it something I have said?"

He seemed to reflect. "Are you sure that anything has changed me? I
think you were m