Hilary kept bustling aimlessly about as he spoke these vague phrases, and he now tried to have her go out of the room before him; but she dropped into a chair, and he had to stay. "I want you to tell me, Mr. Hilary, whether there is the slightest foundation for what the papers say this morning?" "How, foundation? My dear child--" "Has there been any trouble between my father and the company?" "Well--well, there are always questions arising." "Is there any question of my father's accounts--his honesty?" "People question everything nowadays, when there is so much--want of confidence in business. There have to be investigations, from time to time." "And has there been any reason to suspect my father? Does any one suspect him?" Hilary looked round the room with a roving eye, that he could not bring to bear upon the girl's face. "Why, I suppose that some of us--some of the directors--have had doubts--" "Have _you_?" "My dear girl--my poor child! You couldn't understand. But I can truly say, that when this examination--when the subject came up for discussion at the board-meeting, I felt warranted in insisting that your father should have time to make it all right. He said he could; and we agreed that he should have the chance." Hilary said this for the sake of the girl; and he was truly ashamed of the magnanimous face it put upon his part in the affair. He went on: "It is such a very, very common thing for people in positions of trust to use the resources in their charge, and then replace them, that these things happen every day, and no harm is meant, and none is done--unless--unless the venture turns out unfortunately. It's not an isolated case!" Hilary felt that he was getting on now, though he was aware that he was talking very immorally; but he knew that he was not corrupting the poor child before him, and that he was doing his best to console her, to comfort her. "The whole affair was very well put in the _Abstract_. Have you seen it? You must see that, and not mind what the other papers say. Come in to Mrs. Hilary--we have the paper--" Suzette rose. "Then some of the directors believe that my father has been taking the money of the company, as the papers say?" "Their believing this or that, is nothing to the point--" "Do _you_?" "I can't say--I don't think he meant----He expected to restore it, of course. He was given time for that." Hilary hesitated, and then he thought he had better say: "But he had certainly been employing the company's funds in his private enterprises." "That is all," said the girl, and she now preceded Hilary out of the room. It was with inexpressible relief that he looked up and saw Louise coming down the stairs. "Why, Sue!" she cried; and she flew down the steps, and threw her arms around her friend's neck. "Oh, Sue, Sue!" she said, in that voice a woman uses to let another woman know that she understands and sympathizes utterly with her. Suzette coldly undid her clasping arms. "Let me go, Louise."