There was an instant of breathless silence at the table. So startling was his announcement that every other sound in the room escaped the ears of his two listeners. "There was a new hundred dollar bill found in the basket with you. Your grandfather's signature was on that bill. He was the president of the bank which issued it. Your mother was--" Here he leaned forward and whispered a name that fairly stunned his hearers. Graydon caught his breath and a new light appeared in his eyes. He was beginning to believe that the old man's brain was affected. Jane leaned forward in her chair, an incredulous smile on her lips. "Don't jest, Elias," began Graydon, somewhat roughly. "I am not jesting. It is the truth, I swear it," snapped Elias. "But, great Heaven, man, consider what you've said. It's one of the best families in this country-it's preposterous to say--" "Of course, her family is one of the best. She was a blue stocking. That's where Miss Cable gets most of her good blood." "My God, Elias, I can't believe it!" cried Graydon. Jane was staring blankly at the old man's face. "Your father will tell you the same. For more than twenty years I have known the secret. There is no documentary proof, but this much I do know: James Bansemer received fifty thousand dollars for keeping his mouth closed. He found out the truth and he profited by it as usual. Oh, he knew that hundred dollar bills are not left with pauper babes. I don't know how he unearthed the truth about Miss--" "Sh! Don't mention the name aloud!" "But he did unearth it, beyond all possible chance of mistake. Your father, Miss Cable, is sitting at that table. Don't look up just yet. He is staring at you. He doesn't know you, but he does know you are a pretty woman. The gentleman with the grey hair, Graydon. See? That man is her father." Graydon half started up in his chair, his lips apart, his eyes riveted on the man designated. Every drop of blood seemed to have frozen in his veins. "Good God, Elias!" he whispered. "Why, that is--" The name stuck in his throat. "The son of the man who signed the banknote. He is Jane's father. There's blue blood in him--there has been since King Henry's day--but he is a villain for all that. Now, Miss Cable, I've done my duty. I've told you the absolute truth. You could not have expected more--you could not have asked a greater climax. The name of Vanderbilt or Astor is no better known than that man's name, and no ancestry is better than that of your mother. I will now give to you one of the articles of proof that connects you with their history." He handed to her a small package. "It is the letter written to James Bansemer by your paternal grandfather, agreeing to an appointment to discuss a question of grave moment. I found the letter that same day, and I've kept it all these years. It bears your grandfather's signature. That is all. I heard part of that interview, and I stake my soul that what I've told you is true."