"Would you mind leaving us, Miss Eversleigh; there is something I wish to say to Miss Thornton?" Then he turned to Kitty and observed, gruffly, "It is something very important. Miss Thornton, or I should not trouble you. Indeed, I have come on purpose to tell you of it." Kitty bowed gravely, and Helen, greatly astonished, retired to the house, saying as she went-- "Come in when you have had your talk. You won't be long, I suppose." But neither of the others answered. "Is it something you have to tell me about my father?" asked Kitty, who at once supposed that Bennet had in some way or other obtained information respecting Morris Thornton. "No, Miss Thornton," answered Bennet, bluntly. "It is about something quite different that I wish to speak to you." "But if I do not wish to listen to you?" asked Kitty, suddenly alarmed. "You must," insisted Bennet. "Must!" cried Kitty. "You take a very strange tone. I shall not listen to you, Mr. Bennet." And she moved a step from him. He strode beside her, and put his hand roughly on her arm. "I am in earnest," he said, his eyes gleaming balefully. "You must hear me unless you wish the worst to happen to those people in there." He waved his hand toward Ivydene. "Miss Thornton," Bennet went on, more calmly when he saw the girl gave heed to him, "it is in your power, and in yours alone, to save your friends, the Eversleighs, from the gravest disaster." Kitty stared at him, thinking the man must have gone mad. "I repeat," Bennet continued, "that it is in your power. Miss Thornton--do you understand?--in your power, to avert a great danger, a terrible disaster, from the Eversleighs." "I do not understand you in the least," said Kitty. "Will you please explain yourself?" "You will listen, then?" asked Bennet, tauntingly. "And you will do well to listen, if you have any regard for these people." "Will you explain, please?" asked Kitty, impatiently. "Yes; but I shall have to trouble you to hear rather a long story, but without it you would not understand." "Go on," Kitty answered. "I must commence by speaking of myself," said Bennet. "I had need of a sum of money--ten thousand pounds, and I directed my solicitors, Eversleigh, Silwood and Eversleigh, to get it for me by selling a property in Kensington called Beauclerk Mansions, which belonged to me--at least, I believed it belonged to me. I knew that the sale of the property was not likely to be effected immediately; it had to be advertised, and so on. But I did want that ten thousand in a hurry. So I wrote the Eversleighs, and, knowing the Mansions were worth far more than the sum I asked, requested them to make or procure me an advance of the money, and to repay the loan from the proceeds of the sale. Do you understand, Miss Thornton?" "Perfectly; though I do not see why you should imagine it is interesting or important to me," replied Kitty.