“I do not come here in the quality of an ambassador, Captain Bradshaw,” Prescott answered quietly, “although you would naturally suppose so from my coming at all. Nor do I come here to renew an acquaintance which I valued, and should still value, at the highest rate. Greatly as I value it, I could not accept friendship when my best, and truest, and most valued friend is excluded. I do not wish to discuss the point with you, Captain Bradshaw. I know what your feelings on the subject must be, when you can deliberately cast off a man whom I know you loved, but the origin of those feelings is to me an utter mystery. I respect them, however, and you I am sure will respect the friendship, the love I have for a man whom I have for many years looked upon as a brother. The business I have come upon is of an entirely different nature. I give you my honour it relates in no way to what we have spoken of. May I ask you to give me a few minutes’ private conversation?” Alice Heathcote rose. “Thank you, Mr. Prescott,” she said warmly, giving him her hand, “for what you have said. I always believed in you, that you were honest and true. Thank you for your defence of your friend. I am glad, yes, I am glad to hear him once again spoken well of. Tell Frank—yes, uncle, I must speak now—tell Frank, that although I cannot struggle against certainties, still that I cannot believe the worst of him. Tell him that though our paths in life can never come together again, I wish him and his heartily well, and believe and trust that that life will atone, as far as atonement can be made, for his error.” Before Prescott could speak, she had pressed his hand and left the drawing-room. Prescott turned to Captain Bradshaw and was about to demand what Frank’s fault had been, that he should be thus spoken of, when the old man rose, and said gravely,— “No, Mr. Prescott, I will not listen to you. I will not answer any questions. If you are ignorant of the cause of the division between myself and my nephew, a division which nothing can possibly heal, remain in ignorance. Frank has his own trials now, God forbid that I should say aught which might deprive him of a friend like yourself.” “Nothing you could say would do that,” Prescott said gravely. “But now, sir, to the business upon which I came. It is, like the other, a painful, an extremely painful business, and you will, I know, believe that nothing but the feeling of its extreme importance could lead me to ask you the question with which I must begin. You had a daughter named Laura?” Captain Bradshaw turned deadly pale, a look of extreme pain came across his face, and he gasped hoarsely, “Forbear, sir, forbear, you do not know what you are saying. It is twenty years since I heard her name mentioned. How dare you call her up again?” and he laid a trembling hand upon Prescott’s shoulder.