“You!” He looked at her. Certainly, her name would not have been of the smallest importance at a bill; but glimmerings of truth higher than bills, or money values, will flash sometimes even on stolid men. For a moment his eyes rested strangely upon her; and then he turned away his head, and said, “Humph!” in a kind of confidential under tone. The good man rubbed his bushy hair in perplexity. He did not know what to make of this. “But unless Harry has employment we can do nothing,” said Martha, “all that is in our power, without him, must be the mere necessities of living. You have helped us before, Mr. Sommerville.” “If that was to be a reason for exerting myself again, in every case of distress that comes to me,” said the merchant with complacency, “I can tell you, I might give up all other business at once; but recommending a man who turns out ill is a very unpleasant thing to creditable people. There is Buchanan now--of course he took my word for your brother--and I assure you I felt it quite a personal reflection when his son told me that Muir was wild.” “And his son dared!” exclaimed Martha, with uncontrollable indignation, “and this youth who does evil of voluntary intent and purpose is believed when he slanders Harry! Harry, whom this very lad--that he should have power, vulgar and coarse as he is, with a brother of mine!--has betrayed and beguiled into temptation. But I do wrong to speak of this. The present matter is no fault of Harry’s, yet it is the sole reason why he loses his situation; and I see no ground here for any one saying that my brother has disgraced them.” Strong emotion is always powerful. It might be that Mr. Sommerville had no objection to hear Richard Buchanan condemned. It might be that Martha’s fierce defence awoke some latent generosity in the mind she addressed. However that might be, the merchant did not resent her outburst, but answered it indistinctly in a low voice, and ended with something about “partiality,” and “quite natural.” “I am not partial,” said Martha hastily. “No one has ever seen, no one can ever see, Harry’s faults as I do. I am not indifferent enough to pass over any one defect he has; but Harry is young. He has reached the time when men are but experimenting in independent life. Why should he lose his good name for a common misfortune like this?” “You should have stayed in Ayr,” said Mr. Sommerville, with a little weariness. “_I_ don’t want to injure his good name! I have no object in hurting your brother; indeed, for the sake of the old town, and some other things, I would help him to a situation if I could. I’ll just speak to my cash-keeper. He knows about vacant places better than I do.”