"John will be home on Saturday," said Aunt Charlotte. "He will know in what terms to answer the letter far better than I." The answer was to be addressed to the care of a certain firm of solicitors in Bedford Row, London. John Brancker's month on trial was at an end, and he had written to his sister to say that she might expect him home in the course of Saturday afternoon. "No doubt he will have to return by the first train on Monday morning," said Miss Brancker to Hermia when she had read the note. As it happened, one of the first people whom John recognized on alighting at Ashdown station was Edward Hazeldine. They had travelled by the same train without either being aware of the other's presence. Edward saw John at the same moment. He was a little surprised at seeing him there, but at once went up and shook hands with him. "Glad to see you, Mr. Brancker," he said, heartily. "Hope you are getting on all right in your new berth and that the work is to your liking. I suppose you have come down to spend the week-end with your people." "I've come down for good, Mr. Edward. I'm not going back," answered John, gravely. "Not going back!" echoed Edward, surprised, and it may be, a little dismayed. "I was certainly under the impression that you were settled with my friend Lucas for years to come, if not for life. But how has it come about? What has happened to hinder you from going back?" It was merely the old story over again that John had to tell. For a week or more all had gone well with him. He liked his work and he liked his fellow clerks, but presently the fact oozed out somehow that John was the man who had so recently stood his trial for what was known as "the Ashdown murder," and from that moment his fate was sealed. First one and then another of the staff declined to associate with him, or to have anything to do with him beyond what was absolutely necessitated by the exigencies of business; in point of fact, poor John was completely boycotted. "I couldn't stand another month of it, Mr. Edward; it would kill me," he said in conclusion in a quavering voice. "It seems no use trying any more. I must either stay where I am, in the hope of being able to live down the prejudice against me, or else go right away to the other side of the world. There appears to be no other choice left me." CHAPTER XXV. EPHRAIM JUDD'S REMORSE.