myself upon his generosity; but I will yield up all to him. I will, I
swear. As I loved and honoured her," said Wilding, reverently kissing
his hand towards the picture, and then covering his eyes with it. "As I
loved and honoured her, and have a world of reasons to be grateful to
her!" And so broke down again.

His partner rose from the chair he had occupied, and stood beside him
with a hand softly laid upon his shoulder. "Walter, I knew you before to-
day to be an upright man, with a pure conscience and a fine heart. It is
very fortunate for me that I have the privilege to travel on in life so
near to so trustworthy a man. I am thankful for it. Use me as your
right hand, and rely upon me to the death. Don't think the worse of me
if I protest to you that my uppermost feeling at present is a confused,
you may call it an unreasonable, one. I feel far more pity for the lady
and for you, because you did not stand in your supposed relations, than I
can feel for the unknown man (if he ever became a man), because he was
unconsciously displaced. You have done well in sending for Mr. Bintrey.
What I think will be a part of his advice, I know is the whole of mine.
Do not move a step in this serious matter precipitately. The secret must
be kept among us with great strictness, for to part with it lightly would
be to invite fraudulent claims, to encourage a host of knaves, to let
loose a flood of perjury and plotting. I have no more to say now,
Walter, than to remind you that you sold me a share in your business,
expressly to save yourself from more work than your present health is fit
for, and that I bought it expressly to do work, and mean to do it."

With these words, and a parting grip of his partner's shoulder that gave
them the best emphasis they could have had, George Vendale betook himself
presently to the counting-house, and presently afterwards to the address
of M. Jules Obenreizer.