WEALTH WITHOUT WINGS. 155

 

“ Paid it into his own hands as the child’s guar-
dian.”

“Yes; that was the simple transaction.”

“Has the public never made a guess at the real
truth of this matter 2”

“Never, so far as my knowledge goes. There
have been some vague whisperings—but no one has
seemed to comprehend the matter.”

“The purchase was made in your name, was it
not?”

“You,”

“That is, you bought from Jasper as the child’s
guardian ; and afterward sold it back to him.”

ree"

“Why didn’t you hold on to it when it was fairly
in your hands? I only wish I had been in your
place ?”’

The lawyer shrugged his shoulders, but did not
commit himself by acknowledging that he had, more
than once, regretted his omission to claim the pro-
perty while legally in his hands, and defy Jasper to
wrest it from him.

Leaving these two men, whose relation to Jasper
is sufficiently apparent to the reader's mind, we will
return to the merchant, whom we left half-stupefied
at the bold demand of an associate in wrong-doing.
A long time passed ere his activity of mind returned.
While he sat, brooding—dreamily—over what had
just passed, a little daughter came into the parlour,
and seeing ‘him, came prattling merrily to his side.
But in attempting to clamber upon his knee, she was
pushed away rudely, and with angry words. For a
few moments she stood looking at him, her little