'You were right, Honor: Charlie has never reached Rochelle.'

Honor groaned.

'I telegraphed to Monsieur Guichaud, and received the reply that he had not arrived. Can he have gone with your mother to England?'

I fear not; here is her letter.'

Mrs. Blake said distinctly that she had left Charlie at Bordeaux to proceed to Rochelle. This was nearly a fortnight ago.

'Can anything have happened to his steamer?' said Honor.

'I thought of that,' replied Mr. Tracy, ‘and I have ascertained that all the Bordeaux and Rochelle steamers have been running regularly as usual. The only hope is, that he has after all gone with your mother.'

This Honor knew was not the case, for Mrs. Blake, in her last letter from Twickenham, had given Honor a message to send to Charlie.

She brought out her mother's letters and showed them to Mr. Tracy, and she told him of Charlie's conversation that last day at dinner, now invested with significance; then they both sat silent for a while. At last he said—

'It does look as if he had run away, Honor. But as far as I can learn, no one suspects him in the least.'

'I must tell, of course,' replied Honor.

'Yes; if you are asked.'

'Whether I am asked or not. I cannot let an innocent man be blamed unjustly!' And she rose up, whether with some vague idea of going that instant to the Juge d'Instruction, she did not herself know.

'How do you know he is innocent?'

I have no doubt! No doubt at all! Do not stop me, Tom!'

For a minute an unworthy suspicion entered Mr. Tracy's mind. Was this man accused of forgery, this Monsieur le Souffleur, the betrothed lover, for whose sake she had refused him?

'Why do you care so much about Monsieur le Souffleur?' he asked.

'I do not care about him particularly. I rather dislike him, because he spoke so unkindly of dear Edith Bertram. But that is no reason why I should not do him justice.'

The clear eyes looked into his face so truthfully, he hated himself for his doubt.

'You shall do justice to him, Honor; but you must do justice to Charlie too. You have no proof of his guilt; appearances are, I grant, against him, but I have known much stronger circumstantial evidence arrayed against an in

nocent man.

You have no right to go into

court to denounce your brother as guilty of this forgery, and you must not do it. You must trust in me, Honor, as your nearest male relative capable of acting for you. You are summoned as a witness at the trial?'

'Yes; it is to be the day after to-morrow.'

'I know,' said Mr. Tracy. 'I may tell you, Honor, if I could have stopped proceedings by paying the money, I would; but I find that is not to be done. There is no stopping it, except I were to swear that the cheque was signed by my mother.'

That is out of the question.'

It is; particularly as I deposed this morning, before the Juge d'Instruction, the writing could not be mistaken for hers by any one with eyes. If Charlie did sign that cheque, how could he have received the money ?'

he may have given it to her as from us, and received the money from her in the garden on

her return.'

'And she, I hear, denies all knowledge of how many cheques she cashed, or to whom she gave the money. It is strange you should all have trusted such a very ignorant old woman with large sums.'

6

Every one hereabouts used to trust her with money. She is so perfectly honest, and she never lost a franc.

I do not think we often asked her to carry large sums, because my mother prefers doing business of that sort herself; but I understand people doing it. A thousand francs in silver or gold is very heavy to carry in one's hand.'

Honor remembered the last she had brought home.

Then you

think this woman is honest? She could not have forged the cheque ?'

6

'She can neither read nor write.'

Is there any one likely to be her confed

erate? Pauline? My mother's servants?'

'Poor Pauline, I am sure she would not do such a thing! Antoinette, the maid your mother

VOL. II.

I

had, was a very respectable woman, and well educated. She writes a much better hand than that in the cheque. The cook was a Basque, and could not write.'

'That may be.'

Besides, I know neither of them could have had access to the cheque-book.'

'We cannot be sure of that. They are sure to be called as witnesses, I suppose?'

'Yes; Pauline has been summoned. She and I hardly know how we can both leave Newton.'

'Call Pauline, and let me ask her some questions.'

Honor did so.

Pauline's whole anxiety regarding the trial seemed to be centred in the question of who should attend on Newton during her own and Honor's absence. She rushed into that subject as soon as Mr. Tracy asked her if she was to be a witness.

'My mother would come, Mademoiselle, gladly, but she is not well. She has been ill for the last week. Will Mr. Newton bear with my old aunt for one day?

She is deaf, and a