“Of course, dearest uncle.” The sympathetic girl’s heart went out to him in his misery. It was terrible to see this proud, strong man so abased in his own estimation, standing before her almost as a criminal might have stood before a judge. “You know what pleasure it will give me.” “I want you to order the car at once, go straight to Richard, and do your best to make my peace with him. Tell him that I am following you in half an hour to entreat his forgiveness. If he will accord it to me,” he added in a broken voice, “I will devote my life to making amends.” Rosabelle flung her arms round her uncle’s neck, her eyes full of happy tears. “Oh, gladly will I go on such an errand. And, of course, Dick will forgive. All along he has always admitted the terrible strength of the evidence against him, and told me that nobody but I would have believed in his innocence.” “You believed in him because you loved him, child. I loved him, too, but the love of man lacks the divine quality that always animates that of a woman,” admitted the humbled man in a voice of deep sadness. Well she knew as she drove along to the little cottage at Petersham where Richard Croxton had been eating his heart out for so many weary weeks, that the treachery of his wife had affected her husband less than his injustice towards the son of his old sweetheart. Little need to describe the rapture of the lovers when the wonderful news had been told. Hand in hand they sat, discussing the golden future before them, for had not Rupert Morrice avowed his intention of making amends? And then, half an hour later, for even in moments of stress, this capable man of business was ever punctual to the minute, Morrice unlatched the garden gate of the tiny cottage and found Richard waiting for him at the door. Silently the two men clasped hands. It was the elder who spoke first. “So Rosabelle has induced you to forgive me? She was ever a peacemaker.” There was perfect sincerity in the young man’s tone when he answered. “The past is buried, sir, absolutely and irrevocably, so far as I am concerned. My only regret is that my innocence should have to be established at such a terrible cost to yourself.” The financier waved his hand with one of his old imperious gestures. “No more on that subject, Dick. Thank God, her passing out of my life will not make the difference to me that yours did.” Richard was deeply touched. By those few words he knew how deeply his benefactor had suffered from the severance of their old affectionate relations. Morrice took the young man by the arm and led him into the little parlour where Rosabelle, flushed with her new-found happiness, stood awaiting them. He took a hand of each and joined them together.