‘It was during your illness, so of course I did not mention it to you. He was in Spain--in hiding. He was miserably poor; in fact, he wrote begging me to send him money, if it were only a few shillings.’ ‘Have you his letter?’ ‘I burned it.’ ‘And did you----’ ‘Send him money? No, indeed! Was it likely? His punishment is nothing comparatively. But it is written, “Vengeance is Mine.”’ There was an air of decided satisfaction in the old man’s manner as he quoted the text. ‘Do you remember the address?’ asked Alec, after a pause. ‘No,’ said Mr. Lindsay shortly. ‘It is very strange to hear of his being in poverty,’ said Alec, ‘when he is entitled to so much wealth. I heard before I left London that the trustees of the Free Kirk could not hope to succeed in getting the half-million from a court of law.’ ‘So it has been decided; but Semple is afraid to come forward and claim the money. He fears he may be prosecuted, and, for anything he knows, sent to penal servitude.’ ‘Perhaps he does not even know that in spite of the trick he played he is entitled to half the residue of the estate.’ ‘I dare say he does not.’ ‘I wonder what he is doing now.’ ‘He won’t starve,’ said Mr. Lindsay calmly. ‘He will manage to exist somehow till he thinks the worst danger is past, and then we shall hear of his trying to get hold of the money.’ ‘Did you think I did right in renouncing my share of it?’ said Alec, after a pause. ‘You did not consult me at the time,’ said the old man stiffly; ‘and there is little use in speaking of it now.’ ‘You see, my uncle never intended for one moment that I should get two hundred and fifty thousand pounds of his money. I felt that I could not honestly take it.’ ‘No doubt. Have you fixed whether you will go by the _Queen of the South_ or the _Glenstrae_?’ From which Alec understood that his father would have agreed with Laura Mowbray in thinking that he was not morally bound to carry out his uncle’s wishes. ‘Conscience must be obeyed, no doubt,’ said the old man, suddenly returning to the subject. ‘But in important matters it is well to take time for due deliberation, and to consult those whose opinion is entitled to respect.’ ‘I am afraid, sir, I could hardly have expected a Free Kirk minister to advise me to retain the money,’ said Alec maliciously. ‘If I had had recourse to an Established Church pastor, he might perhaps have seen the matter in a different light.’ Then, seeing that his father looked nettled, Alec hastily began to speak of something else. It was the middle of summer before the time of parting came. The _Glenstrae_ (the ship which had been chosen) sailed from the Clyde; and Alec’s father and sister, as well as his friend Cameron, went down to Greenock where the vessel was lying, to see him on board.