He started, and an expression of pain crossed his face,—­a sudden look of fear, as though he dreaded what I might have to tell him; but the next moment he was thinking only of me.

‘You shall speak to Leah to-morrow,’ he said gently; ’it is late now,—­nearly ten o’clock,—­and you are ill, and had better go to bed and rest yourself.  I can wait until to-morrow,’ taking my cold hand.

But I would not be silenced.  I implored him earnestly to do this for me,—­to summon Leah into the study, but not to let Miss Darrell know.

’I suppose you think you could not sleep until you had relieved your mind,’ he said, looking at me attentively.  ’Well, they are coming in now.  Leah is fastening the door.  Finish that sal volatile while I fetch her.’

I took it at a draught.  But Mr. Hamilton’s kindness had been my best restorative:  I was no longer faint or miserable:  he had cheered and comforted me.

I heard Leah’s voice approaching the study door with perfect calmness.

‘Miss Etta has gone up to bed, sir,’ I heard her say; ’she has a headache:  that is what makes her eyes so weak.’

‘I should have said myself that she was crying,’ returned Mr. Hamilton drily.  ‘Come in here a moment, Leah; I want to speak to you.’

She did not see me until the door was closed behind her, and then I saw her glance at me uneasily.  Mr. Hamilton had evidently not prepared her for my presence in the study.

‘Did you or Miss Garston wish to speak to me, sir?’ she asked, with a veiled insolence of manner that she had shown to me lately; but I could see that no suspicion of the truth had dawned on her.

‘It is I who wish to speak to you, Leah,’ I returned severely; ’and I have asked your master to send for you that I might speak in his presence.  Mr. Hamilton, I am going to repeat the conversation that I have just overheard between Leah and her mistress when they were in the seat in the asphalt walk:  you shall hear it from my lips word for word.’

I never saw a countenance change as Leah’s did that moment:  her ordinary sallow complexion became a sort of dead-white; from insolence, her manner grew cringing, almost abject; the shock deprived her of all power of speech; only directly I began she caught hold of my gown with both hands, as though to implore me to stop; but Mr. Hamilton shook off her touch angrily, and asked her if it looked as though she were an honest woman to be so afraid of her own words.  And then the sullen look came back to her face and never left it again.

I repeated every word.  I do not believe I omitted a sentence, except that part that referred to Uncle Max.  I could see Leah shrink and collapse as I mentioned her convict-brother, and such a gleam of fierce concentrated hatred shot from beneath her drooping lids that Mr. Hamilton instinctively moved to my side; but a low groan escaped him when I repeated Leah’s words about the cheque.  ’Good heavens! do you mean that Eric never took it?’ he exclaimed, in a horror-stricken tone; but the woman merely raised her eyes and looked at him, and he was silent again until I had finished.