Gurth, relieved by the discovery that the crime he had accused himself of for years had existed only in his imagination, was in a sufficiently charitable frame of mind to bear no malice towards a man who could now do him no further harm. He had always had an intuitive dread of Marston. Birnie had played his cards so well that both Gurth and Heckett had always believed their old comrade knew more about the affray in Heckett’s gambling-den than he cared to say. ‘And so he’s the fust to go arter all!’ exclaimed the old man, raising himself with difficulty in the arm-chair where George had placed him. He was so weak now that he required assistance to get across the room. That burly frame had shrunk, and his clothes hung loosely about him. His massive jaws were sunken, and the fierce eyes, large and bright with the fatal light of consumption, were set in deep violet circles. Every now and then a distressing cough shook him as a whirlwind shakes the old tree, and the great beads of perspiration caused by the paroxysm trickled down his attenuated face. ‘You’re very bad, Josh,’ said Gurth, as he sat by his side. ‘Ay, ay,’ answered the old man. ‘I’m goin’ to make a die of it, mate. Josh Heckett’s had his sentence. I’m to be put away for good and all.’ ‘Have you made your will?’ ‘Will!’ said the old man, almost fiercely. ‘Who have I got to leave anything to, and what have I got, eh?’ Gurth smiled. ‘You know best, Josh. I suppose you haven’t lived on air all these years.’ ‘No—I ain’t—but-’ He hesitated a moment, then added, with a resolute accent, as though he had made a sudden le-solve, ‘There, it’s no good a-playing dark any longer. You ain’t likely to want my bit o’ property, so I’ll tell you what I’d like to do. I wants to leave all I got to some charity—what’s a good’un?’ ‘Charity!’ said Gurth. ‘But what about your grand-daughter? Charity begins at home.’ Josh shook his head. ‘I shouldn’t like to leave what I got to her. She’s a-comin’ bimeby. Mrs. Smith’s gone for her to come and see me afore I die.’ ‘Gone for her—where?’ ‘She’s been kept by Marston at his grand place all this time. Mrs. Smith told me about the young gal as was there, and I see how it was in a minnit. It was that teacher-lady as used to come here, as he married—she ‘ticed her away.’ ‘Ah!’ said Gurth, shaking his head, ‘there was some deep game on, Josh, in Marston keeping Gertie dark from you. Now, whatever it was, it’s beyond his reach now.’ ‘I dunuo,’ answered Heckett. ‘I think it was the teacher-lady as was at the bottom on it. Poor Gertie! I didn’t use her as I oughter a done. For my poor dead girl’s sake I oughter a kept her out o’ my swim.’ ‘And yet even now you are going to leave your property away from her!’