“My dear sir,” Prescott said gently, “I must prepare you for this meeting. The boy when very young had an accident which injured his spine, and he has been a helpless cripple ever since. He is now very ill. The doctors recommend change of air and scene, and I trust that they will restore him to health. He is an extraordinary young man. He is of the highest intelligence, and has educated himself in a wonderful way. Save that he is a cripple, you might well be proud of your grandson.” The old man groaned. “Oh, if I had but known it, if I had but known it! Why did not Barton find out?” “He did, Captain Bradshaw; he has known it all the time.” “Impossible!” Captain Bradshaw exclaimed. “Impossible!” “It is true, sir; he has never lost sight of him; he has been in the habit of coming to see him every few months.” “The atrocious villain! the infernal scoundrel!” Captain Bradshaw exclaimed furiously. “Why did he not tell me?—what was his motive?” “I can only imagine, sir, that he intended to keep it secret until the boy came of age, in order to get him to promise a very large sum of money upon being placed in possession of proofs of his birth.” “The scoundrel! the villain!” ejaculated Captain Bradshaw, almost beside himself with passion, “I will punish him, I will kill him. Mr. Prescott, you are a lawyer, I will give ten thousand pounds to have him hung.” “We will talk of that presently,” Prescott said soothingly; “in the meantime the great point is to get your grandson here.” “Of course, of course,” Captain Bradshaw said, the current of his thoughts again changed. “I will tell Alice first,” and he went to the door; “Alice! Alice! come down directly.” Miss Heathcote soon entered the room, and was astounded at seeing her uncle walking up and down the room, with the tears flowing down his cheeks. “Alice,” he said, “I am a miserable old man. I drove my daughter from her home in a fit of rage. I tried afterwards to find her, but I never heard of her until it was too late, and the news came to me she was dead—had died of want, Alice, think of that!—and now I hear all, these years afterwards, that she has left a son behind her, and he has grown up a cripple, brought up by the charity of some poor people, whom,” said the old man solemnly, “may God bless for their goodness!” Alice was too surprised to make any comment upon this story, but could only kiss her uncle soothingly. Then she turned to Prescott for further explanation. “Sit down, Captain Bradshaw,” he said, “for a few minutes and recover your composure. I will tell you all I know about it.”