Rachel Carter put her there, Kenneth. I cannot ask you to hate
your father. It would not be right. He is your father in spite of
everything. You know what the Good Book says? 'Honour thy father
and--' how does the rest of it go, my lad?"

"'Honour thy father and thy mother that thou days may be long upon
thou earth,'" murmured Kenneth, bravely.

"When you are a little older you will realize that your father did
not honour his father and mother, and then you may understand more
than you do now. But you may hate Rachel Carter. You MUST hate her.
She killed your mother. She stole your father. She made an orphan
of you. She destroyed the home where you used to live. As you
grow older I will try to tell you how she did all these things.
You would not understand now. There is one of the Ten Commandments
that you do not understand,--I mean one in particular. It is enough
for you to know the meaning of the one that says 'Thou shalt not
steal.' You must not be unhappy over what I have told you. Everything
will be all right with you. You will be safe here with granny and
me. But you must no longer believe that your father went to the
war like other men in the village. If he were MY son, I would---"

"Don't say it, Richard," cried Kenneth's grandma, from the doorway
behind them. "Don't ever say that to him."




CHAPTER I