Mr. Godolphin dropped the subject, and entered upon some general business. The old clerk remained with him about ten minutes, and then was at liberty to withdraw. "Send Layton to me," was the order as he went out. And the clerk appeared in obedience to it. Thomas Godolphin received him kindly, his manner and words had all the repose of quiet confidence. He believed Mr. Hurde to be completely mistaken, to have erred through zeal, and he intimated as much to Mr. Layton. He might not have personally entered on the topic with him, but that Layton had heard that he had been accused to him. Layton's heart opened to his master. He was a well-disposed man when not exasperated. He frankly volunteered to Mr. Godolphin the amount of his wife's income and its source; he stated that he was not living up to one penny more than he could afford; and he distinctly denied being a betting man, either by practice or inclination--except for the one bet of a pound, which he had made incidentally. Altogether, his explanation was perfectly satisfactory to Mr. Godolphin. "Understand me, Mr. Layton, I did not, myself, cast the slightest doubt upon you. To do so, never occurred to me." "I hope not, sir," was Layton's reply. "Mr. Hurde has his crotchets, and we, who are under him, must put up with them. His bark is worse than his bite: that much may be said for him." "Yes," said Thomas Godolphin. "You might fare worse, in that respect, than you do under Mr. Hurde. What was the meaning of the words you spoke relative to Mr. George Godolphin?" Layton felt that his face was on fire. He muttered, in his confusion, something to the effect that it was a "slip of the tongue." "But you must be aware that such slips are quite unjustifiable. Something must have induced you to say it. What may it have been?" "The truth is, I was in a passion when I said it," replied Layton, compelled to speak. "I am very sorry." "You are evading my question," quietly replied Thomas Godolphin. "I ask you what could have induced you to say it? There must have been something to lead to the remark." "I did not mean anything, I declare, sir, Mr. Hurde vexed me by casting suspicion upon me; and in the moment's anger, I retorted that he might as well cast it upon Mr. George Godolphin." Thomas Godolphin pressed the question. In Layton's voice when he had uttered it, distorted though it was with passion, his ears had detected a strange meaning. "But why upon Mr. George Godolphin? Why more upon him than any other?--upon myself, for instance; or Mr. Hurde?" Layton was silent. Thomas Godolphin waited, his serene countenance fixed upon, the clerk's. "I suppose I must have had in my head a remark I heard yesterday, sir," he slowly rejoined. "Heaven knows, though, I gave no heed to it; and how I came to forget myself in my anger, I don't know. I am sure I thought nothing of it, afterwards, until Mr. Hurde spoke to me this morning." "What was the remark?" asked Mr. Godolphin.