"Did I not tell you?—nor my grandfather? But perhaps neither of us thought it of much importance. It was only some vague talk, as I understood; for everyone must have known that no one was so familiar with the subject as my grandfather, and that it would be foolish to try to interfere with him. At the same time I have always been anxious that he should get on with the book, for various reasons; and if you have heard anything that will induce him to begin at once, so much the better." It was clear that she was wholly in ignorance of the true state of the case. "No," said he, watching her the while. "What I have heard will not have that effect, but rather the reverse. To tell you the plain truth, the American or Scotch-American writer has finished his book, and it will be out almost directly." She sprang to her feet with an involuntary gesture, and stood still for a moment, her lips grown suddenly pale, and her eyes bewildered: and then she turned away from him to hide her emotion, and walked to the window. Instantly he followed her. "Maisrie, what is the matter!" he exclaimed in astonishment, for he found that tears had sprung to her eyes. "Oh, it is a shame—it is a shame," she said, in broken accents, and her hands were clenched, "to steal an old man’s good name from him, and that for so small a thing! What harm had he ever done them? The book was such a small thing—they might have left it to him—what can they gain from it——" "But Maisrie——!" "Oh, you don’t understand, Vincent, you don’t understand at all," she said, in a despairing sort of way, "how my grandfather will be compromised! He undertook to bring out the book; he got friends to help him with money; and now—now—what will they think?—what can I say to them?—what can I do? I—I must go to them—but—but what can I say?" Her tears were running afresh now; and at sight of them the young man threw to the winds all his doubts and conjectures concerning George Bethune’s honesty. That was not the question now. "No, you shall not go to them!" said he, with indignant eyes. "You?—you go to any one—in that way? No, you shall not. I will go. It is a question of money: I will pay them their money back. Tell me who they are, and the amounts; and they shall have every farthing of their money back, and at once: what can they ask for more?" For a second she regarded him with a swift glance of more than gratitude; but it was only to shake her head.