of his character do not long doubt themselves
for good or evil; and while that one broad fact
remained unexplained —how did Grantley get
possession of money left locked up in nis
desk? —he was in his right to suppose lhat he-
had stolen it, and common sense and the law
were on his side.

"Tell me how you came by it," he then said
in a somewhat gentler tone; " if I have done you
wrong, boy, I am sorry for it, and we will not
bear malice; but tell me how you got that
note."

"I cannot, sir," said Grantley, his heart
swelling.

"You will not, you mean, you young fool!"
said Mr. Rashleigh, contemptuously.

"I cannot," he repeated.

"Then you will not be surprised if I send for
the police?  Here, Lewis. Lewis! come here!
The thing must be thoroughly sifted, Grantley;
and if you are guilty I am sorry for the
exposure you have brought on yourself. nIt is
your own folly to let things come to such a
pass, when they can never be mended again!"

"To send for the police will not make
matters much worse for me," replied Grantley;
"the servants have heard all that has passed,
and my character will be none the blacker now
for a public charge."

"At least we shall get to the truth then,"
said Mr. Rashleigh; " which will be so much
gained."

"No, sir," Grantley replied, firmly, "I shall
not tell you even then where I got that money
from, or how I came by it!"

All this while the drawing-room door had
been standing half open, with Hope close to it,
listening to what was passing.  A whole world
of feelings had possessed her by turns —fear of
her father, fear for Grantley, and shame at the
false position in which her self-will and
cowardice together had placed him —something, too,
that was more than admiration at the constancy
with which he had borne such pain and indignity
that he might keep faith with her, and a kind
of dawning idea that what she had done had
been after all a sin and a dishonour, and that
confession would degrade her for ever— all
these thoughts and feelings passed through her
mind by turns, and held her motionless and
silent; with ever the bitter recollection that
Grantley was but a poor relation at the best,
and that the distance between them was
immeasurable, running like a sorrowful refrain to
each.  But when her father spoke of giving
him in charge, and called to the servant, then
she hesitated no longer.  Throwing the door
wide open she came out into the hall.

"I took the money, papa," she said boldly;
and as she spoke she laid her hand in Grantley's,
the first time that she had ever willingly done
so.

"Hope!" exclaimed her father, "are you
mad?  You took that money?  You?"

"Yes, papa," she answered quite steadily;
"you refused to give it to me when I asked
you for it yesterday, and I took it this morning.
I wanted it, and you ought to have given it
to me."

If I had thought that to refuse it would
have made you capable of stealing it, Hope, I
would not have hesitated a moment," said the
father, sternly.

"I do not call it stealing," said Hope, defiantly.
"It was only taking what I had a right to.  I
unlocked your desk with my own key, and gave
the note to Grantley to get changed."

John Rashleigh turned fiercely against the
youth.  "How dare you, sir, abet my child in
her folly?" he exclaimed, passionately.  "What
was folly in her, and excusable, considering how
I have always humoured her and acceded to her
wishes, and remembering that after all she is a
mere child still, was downright wickedness and
dishonour in you.  And how do I know but
that you instigated her to it?  How do I know
but that it was your doing in reality, and she
but the innocent tool of your cunning schemes?
You bought a precious gimcrack for yourself,
and paid for it with my money.  I tell you,
Grantley, the whole thing looks too black yet for
your whitewashing."

"Grantley accounted to me for that camp
thing," said Hope.  "Do I not tell you, papa,
that it was my own doing from first to last?
Grantley did not know where I got the note
from.  I only asked him to get it cashed for
me.  But I asked him not to tell you that I
had done so, because I was afraid you would be
angry with me, and I meant to tell you when
you were kind again."  This she said coaxingly.

"I could not break my word to Miss Hope,"
said Grantley in a low voice, but firmly. "Yet
I should have thought, Mr. Rashleigh, that you
would have known me too well to have suspected
me of such a thing as this.  What Miss Hope
had the right to do was another matter, but it
would have been a theft in me; and men" —
(here Mr. Rashleigh smiled a little satirically)
"do not become thieves all at once. Yet I do
not think you have ever seen much want of
honour in me!"

"I will not have that tone taken," said Mr.
Rashleigh, harshly.  "You have done ill,
Grantley, and it is absurd to attempt to give yourself
the airs of injured innocence, and as if you had
the right to blame me because I suspected what
was so entirely suspicious.   And what do I
know yet?  I have no proof; only your own
word and Hope's assertion, which, for aught I
know, may be merely her generous desire to
get you out of a perilous position by taking the
blame on herself.  I can scarcely believe her
guilty.  To have gone into my room in my
absence —unlock my desk —take the money I
had refused her only a few hours ago —to steal
—I cannot believe it!  I will not!  You have
been at the bottom of it, Grantley; you have
had some hand in it!"

"Now, papa, how can you go on so?" cried
Hope, thoroughly frightened.  "Do I not tell
you that Grantley is innocent, and that I have
been the only one to blame?  What more can
I say to convince you?"