Martha’s face expressed many things, absolute amazement predominant.

“Why—­why, Mr. Bangs!” she gasped.  “What—­”

“Pardon me,” went on Galusha.  “I was about to explain.  I—­I will try to make the explanation brief.  It is—­ah—­very painful to me to make and will be, I fear, as painful for you to hear.  Miss Phipps, when I told you—­or gave you to understand—­that my cousin here, or his firm, Cabot, Bancroft and Cabot, bought that—­ah—­ Development stock of yours, I deceived you; I told you a falsehood.  They did not buy it. . . .  I bought it, myself.”

He blurted out the last sentence, after a short but apparent mental struggle.  Martha’s chest heaved, but she said no word.  The criminal continued: 

“I will not attempt at this time to tell you how I was—­ah—­forced into buying it,” he said; “further than to say that I—­I had very foolishly led you to count upon my cousin’s buying it and—­and felt a certain responsibility and—­a desire not to disappoint you.  I—­ of course, I should have told you the truth, but I did not.  I bought the stock myself.”

Again he paused and still Martha was silent.  Cousin Gussie seemed about to speak and then to change his mind.

“Perhaps,” went on Galusha, with a pitiful attempt at a smile, “you might have forgiven me that, although it is doubtful, for you had expressly forbidden my lending you money or—­or assisting you in any way, which I was—­please believe this—­very eager to do.  But, after having bought it, I, as I say, deceived you, falsified, prevaricated—­excuse me—­lied to you, over and over. . . .  Oh, dear me!” he added, in a sudden burst, “I assure you it is unbelievable how many falsehoods seemed to be necessary.  I lied continually, I did, indeed.

“Well, that is all,” he said.  “That is all, I believe. . . .  I—­I am very sorry. . . .  After your extreme kindness to me, it was—­I . . .  I think perhaps, if you will excuse me, I will go to my room.  I am—­ah—­somewhat agitated.  Good-night.”

He was turning away, but Cabot called to him.

“Here, wait a minute, Loosh,” he cried.  “There is one thing more you haven’t told us.  Why on earth did you buy Hallett’s four hundred shares?”

Galusha put his hand to his forehead.

“Oh, yes, yes,” he said.  “Yes, of course.  That was very simple.  I was—­ah—­as one may say, coerced by my guilty conscience.  Captain Hallett had learned—­I don’t know precisely how, but it is quite immaterial—­that Miss Phipps had, through me and to you, Cousin Gussie, as he supposed, sold her shares.  He wished me to sell his.  I said I could not.  Then he said he should go to your office in Boston and see you, or your firm, and sell them himself.  I could not allow that, of course.  He would have discovered that I had never been there to sell anything at all and—­and might have guessed what had actually happened.  So I was obliged to buy his stock also and—­and pretend that you had bought it.  I lied to him, too, of course.  I—­I think I have lied to every one. . . .  I believe that is really all.  Good-night.”