escaped him when I
repeated Leah's words about the cheque. 'Good heavens! do you mean that
Eric never took it?' he exclaimed, in a horror-stricken tone; but the
woman merely raised her eyes and looked at him, and he was silent again
until I had finished.

There was a moment's ominous silence after that: perhaps Mr. Hamilton was
praying for self-control; he had grown frightfully pale, and yet he was a
man who rarely changed colour: the veins on his forehead were swollen,
and when he spoke his voice was hoarse with repressed passion.

'What have you to say for yourself, Leah? Do you know I could indict you
for conspiracy and conniving at theft?'

'I know that very well,' returned the woman, trying to brave it out; but
she could not meet his indignant look. 'But it is your own flesh and
blood that is in fault here. Miss Etta is more to blame than I.'

Mr. Hamilton crossed the room and locked the door, putting the key coolly
in his pocket; then he made me sit down,--for I had been standing all
this time,--and, as though to enforce obedience, he kept his hand on my
arm. I could see Leah looking about her as though she were caught in a
trap: her light-coloured eyes had a scintillating look of fear in them.

'Now, Leah,' observed her master, in a terrible voice, 'if you are to
expect any mercy at my hand you will make a clean breast; but first you
will answer my question: Has Miss Garston repeated the conversation
between you and Miss Etta correctly?'

'Yes, I believe so,' very sullenly.

'You saw Miss Etta take the cheque with your own eyes the night before
Mr. Eric left home?'

'Yes.' Then, as though these questions tortured her, she said doggedly--

'Look here, sir; I am caught in a trap, and there is no getting
out of it. I have lost my place and my character, thanks to Miss
Garston,'--another vindictive look at me. 'If you will promise like
a gentleman not to take advantage of my evidence, I will tell you all
about it.'

'I will make no promises,' he returned, in the same stern voice; 'but
if you do not speak I will send for the police at once, and have you up
before a magistrate. You have connived at theft; that will be sufficient
to criminate you.'

'I know all about that,' was the unflinching answer; 'and I know for the
old mistress's sake you will be glad to hush it all up: it would not be
pleasant to bring your own cousin before a magistrate, especially after
promising the old mistress on her death-bed