"Well, everything shall be sifted to the bottom," repeated Hugh Boscawen, "and justice shall be done to all. As far as Mistress Molesworth is concerned, she shall accompany me to Tregothnan this very night. As for you, Trevanion, you will naturally want to go to your home." "Pardon me, my lord," said old Peter Trevisa, his avarice overcoming his fear, "he hath no home." "Hath no home, what mean you?" "Trevanion is mine, my lord; I possess all the deeds, and Roger Trevanion hath no right to go there." "I have heard something of this," said Boscawen; "tell me all the details." Whereupon Peter told him of his relations with my father and of the episode which I described in the beginning of this history. "I think you have not told all, Master Peter Trevisa." It was Nancy who spoke. "There is nothing more to tell--nothing," snarled Peter. "There is much," replied Nancy. "Then tell it if you care; tell it." But she was silent. She remembered that a recital of the scene would give me pain, and spoke no word. "I will tell it, my lord," I said; "the time hath come when it should be told. I did a base thing, I made a bargain with this man. He has told you how he became sole possessor of Trevanion, but, as Mistress Nancy has declared, there is more to tell. This man bade me come here, and he promised me that if I would bring Mistress Nancy Molesworth here he would give me back the deeds of the estate and forgive half the sum I owed him." "But what was his purpose in proposing this?" "I knew not at the time, my lord. I was reckless, foolish, extravagant; and to my eternal shame I made a bargain with him. After much difficulty I brought her here, but not until I had besought her not to come. You see she had made me so ashamed of myself that I loathed the mission I had undertaken. I told her the history of what I had done, and in spite of all my advice she insisted on coming." "I see. Then you can claim your own." "I offered it, my lord, offered it before an attorney, but he refused, he--he would not take it." "Is that true, Trevanion?" "It is, my lord. I--I could not take the price of my base deed." Hugh Boscawen looked at me steadily; he was a gentleman, and understood that which was in my heart. "That, too, must be investigated," he said quietly; "but still you have not told me Trevisa's object in asking you to bring Mistress Molesworth here." "It was this secret, my lord. He thought she was base like himself. He believed she would be glad to wed his son when he placed his case before her." "And she, of course, refused?" "Yes, my lord." Hugh Boscawen seemed to be thinking for a few seconds, then he said quietly: "Yes, Mistress Molesworth shall accompany me to Tregothnan until the matter be investigated, and you, Trevanion, must go to your old home. Trevisa hath not complied with the usual formalities in calling in the mortgages, hence the place is still yours." "No, no; it is mine, my lord," cried old Peter.