’He was faulty on many more points.  I am afraid, Ursula you have been somewhat biassed by Miss Hamilton.  You must remember that she idolised Eric,—­that she was blind to many of his faults; she made excuses for him whenever it was possible to do so, but with all her weak partiality she could not deny that he was thriftless, idle, and extravagant, that he defied his brother’s authority, that he even forgot himself so far as to use bad language in his presence.  I believe, once, he even struck him; only Hamilton declared he had been drinking, so he merely turned him out of the room.’

I looked at Max sadly.  ’This may be all true; but I cannot believe that he took that cheque.’

‘The circumstantial evidence against him is very strong,’ he replied quietly.  ’You do not know what power a sudden temptation has over these weak natures:  he was hard pressed, remember that; he had gambling debts, thanks to Edgar.  Fancy gambling debts at twenty!  I have tried to take Miss Hamilton’s view of the case, but I cannot bring myself to believe in his innocence.  Most likely he repented the moment he had done it, poor boy.  Eric was no hardened sinner.  I sometimes fear—­at least, the terrible thought has crossed my mind, and I know Hamilton has had it too—­that in his despair he might have made away with himself.’

‘Oh, Max, this is too horrible!’ And I shuddered as I thought of the beautiful young face so like Gladys’s, with its bright frank look that seemed to appeal to one’s heart.

’Well, well, we need not speak of it; but it was a sad time for all of us; and yet in some ways it was a happy time to me.  It was such a comfort to feel that I was necessary to them all; that they looked for me daily; that they could not do without me.  I used to be with Hamilton every evening; and when Gladys was very ill they sent for me, because they said no one knew how to soothe her so well.

’Do you wonder, Ursula, that, seeing her in her weakness and sorrow, she grew daily into my life, that my one thought was how I could help and comfort her?

’She was very gentle and submissive, and followed my advice in everything.  When I told her that only work could cure her sore heart, she did not contradict me:  in a little while I had to check her feverish activity.  She had overwhelmed herself with duties; she managed our mothers’ meetings with Miss Darrell’s help, taught in our schools, and helped train the choir.  I had allotted her a district, and she worked it admirably.  She was my right hand in everything; all the poor people worshipped her.’

‘Yes, Max,’ for he paused, as though overwhelmed with some bitter-sweet recollection.

’I loved her more each day, but I respected her sorrow, and tried to hide my feelings from her.  It was more than a year after Eric’s disappearance before I ventured to speak, and then it was by Hamilton’s advice that I did so.  He had set his heart on the match.  He told me more than once that he would rather have me as a brother-in-law than any other man.