emn him, he has condemned himself. He sends me no word; he cannot
look me in the face and declare himself innocent. He runs away at night,
knowing well that there could be but one construction as to this, and
that all would judge him guilty. No, Alice, it breaks my heart to say
so, but I can struggle no longer against these facts. The lad whom I
have loved as a son has turned out a thief."

"No, uncle, no," the girl cried passionately, "I will never believe it,
not to the end of my life. I cannot prove him innocent, but I know he is
so, and some day it will be proved; but till then I shall still think of
him as my dear brother, as my true-hearted brother, who has been
wrongfully accused, and who is the victim of some wicked plot of which,
perhaps, Fred Barkley knows more than any one else," and, bursting into
a passion of tears, she ran from the room. Fred looked after her with an
expression of pity and sorrow.

"Poor child!" he said, "it is a terrible blow for her, and she scarce
knows what she is saying."

"It is a terrible blow," Captain Bayley said, in a dreary voice, "a most
terrible blow to me and to her. No wonder she feels it; and I have been
planning and hoping that some day, a few years hence, those two would
get to like each other in a different way. I had, by my will, divided my
fortune equally between you and him, but I have liked him best. Of
course, I brought him up, and he has been always with me; it was natural
that I should do so. Still I wanted to be fair, and I divided it
equally. But I was pleased at the thought that her fortune, which is, as
you know, a very large one, would be his, and enable him to make a great
figure in the world if he had chosen; and now it is all over.

"Go away now, my boy, the blow has been too much for me. I am getting an
old man, and this is the second great blow I have had. Do not take to
heart the wild words of poor little Alice. You see she scarcely knows
what she is saying."

Without another word Fred took his departure. When once out of sight of
the house his steps quickened, and he walked briskly along.

"Splendid!" he said to himself; "a grand stroke indeed, and perfectly
safe. Frank is not likely to return for twenty years, if ever, and I
don't think the old man is good for another five. I expect I shall have
some trouble with that little cat, Alice; but she is only a child, and
will come round in time, and her fortune will be quite as useful to me
as it woul