loved me fondly. Poor mother! 'Paul,' said she, 'at your birth a genuine
friend promised to help me to bring up and educate you, and he kept his
word. But you are now twenty-one, and must expect nothing more from him.
My son, you are a man now, and I have only you to look to. Work and earn
an honest livelihood----'"

Paul could proceed no farther, for his emotions choked him.

"My mother died suddenly some ten months after this
conversation--without time to communicate anything to me, and I was left
perfectly alone in the world; and were I to die to-morrow, there would
not be a soul to follow me to my grave."

Mascarin put on a sympathetic look.

"Not quite so bad as that, my young friend; I trust that you have one
now."

Mascarin rose from his seat, and for a few minutes paced up and down the
room, and then halted, with his arms folded, before the young man.

"You have heard me," said he, "and I will not put any further questions
which it will but pain you to reply to, for I only wished to take your
measure, and to judge of your truth from your replies. You will ask why?
Ah, that is a question I cannot answer to-day, but you shall know later
on. Be assured, however, that I know everything about you, but I cannot
tell you by what means. Say it has all happened by chance. Chance has
broad shoulders, and can bear a great deal."

This ambiguous speech caused a thrill of terror to pass through Paul,