The rest of the story is soon told. The sad meeting of poor Rogers with the mother of his child, who stayed by his side night and day, the bitter tears of Mrs. Hartley as she beheld her father for the first and last time; the mutual expression of love and forgiveness ere the poor invalid breathed his last, beloved and forgiven by those on whom he had thoughtlessly entailed much sorrow and suffering. CHAPTER XI. The Mother-in-Law. John Wilkie was the son of Scotch parents residing in Toronto, Ontario. He was possessed of considerable literary ability, and when a lad had entered Toronto University with the intention of pursuing a professional career; but his father shrewdly reasoned that, although fame might be acquired more readily by clergymen and lawyers, money was an important consideration, and might be acquired with, comparative ease in a well managed business. He accordingly placed his son in the wholesale house of Messrs. Campbell & Castle, and in due course of time the lad secured an interest in the business. The young man was not long a member of the firm when he became enamoured of a young lady named Collins, whom he had met at the house of a mutual friend. For a longtime he paid attention to this young lady, taking her to balls, concerts and operas, and finally he proposed for her hand and was accepted. Miss Collins was scarcely what one would call a beautiful girl, yet there was an attractiveness of manner peculiar to her which caused her to be much, sought after and admired in social circles, and many were the sad and heavy when it became known that she was about to marry John Wilkie. At this juncture Wilkie the elder was carried off with an attack of pneumonia, leaving John, his only son, heir to his house and property. This occurrence of course caused the wedding to be deferred for a time, and the bridegroom elect went into deep mourning; in a few months, however, he doffed his sable garments, and, having caused the family mansion to be refurnished and renovated, began to make preparations for his wedding. The affair came off with great _éclat_, the bride being driven home from church behind four dapple-grey horses, several carriages following with bridesmaids, groomsmen, and invited guests, among the latter being many rejected suitors, who took a kind of melancholy pleasure in seeing the matter through. Mrs. Wilkie was in excellent spirits, as was also the dowager, her mother-in-law, and after the _déjeuner_ they wept together and kissed each other at parting as if they were blood relations. Mrs. Collins was not so much affected; she was so much entranced at the rich prize she had secured for her daughter that grief was altogether out of the question.