“I am afraid,” he said, “that my father is sinking fast.”

Then she felt quite sure that he had as yet heard nothing about Mr Maguire.

But it was late in the evening, when other people had gone to bed, that Lady Ball was in the habit of discussing family affairs with her son, and doubtless she would do so to-night. Margaret, before she went up to her room, strove hard to get from him a few words of kindness, but it seemed as though he was not thinking of her.

“He is full of his father,” she said to herself.

When her bed-candle was in her hand she did make an opportunity to speak to him.

“Has Mr Slow settled anything more as yet?” she asked.

“Well, yes. Not that he has settled anything, but he has made a proposition to which I am willing to agree. I don’t go up to town to-morrow, and we will talk it over. If you will agree to it, all the money difficulties will be settled.”

“I will agree to anything that you tell me is right.”

“I will explain it all to you to-morrow; and, Margaret, I have told Mr Slow what are my intentions,—our intentions, I ought to say.” She smiled at him with that sweet smile of hers, as though she thanked him for speaking of himself and her together, and then she took herself away. Surely, after speaking to her in that way, he would not allow any words from his mother to dissuade him from his purpose?

She could not go to bed. She knew that her fate was being discussed, and she knew that her aunt at that very time was using every argument in her power to ruin her. She felt, moreover, that the story might be told in such a way as to be terribly prejudicial to her. And now, when his father was so ill, might it not be very natural that he should do almost anything to lessen his mother’s troubles? But to her it would be absolute ruin; such ruin that nothing which she had yet endured would be in any way like it. The story of the loss of her money had stunned her, but it had not broken her spirit. Her misery from that had arisen chiefly from the wants of her brother’s family. But if he were now to tell her that all must be over between them, her very heart would be broken.