"You foolish fellow," he said, with his face resuming its old calm. "You are too young yet to thoroughly understand such matters. When you grow older, you will learn why it was that I could not play, as you seemed to wish, so mean a part as to become John Lister's accuser. It would have been contemptible in the extreme." "I could not help feeling that Miss Carr ought to know, Hallett." "Yes, my lad, but you shrank from telling her yourself." He was silent for a minute. "Ah, Antony," he said, "Fate seems to have ordained that I am always to wear the workman's coat; but I console myself with the idea that a man may be a poor artisan and still at heart a gentleman." "Of course!" "My father was a thoroughly honourable man, who left us poor solely from misfortune. The legacy he left to me, Antony, was the care of my dear mother and Linny." He looked down tenderly on the sleeping girl, and softly stroked her hair; the touch, light as it was, waking her, to smile in his face with a look very different from that worn by her countenance the day before. CHAPTER FORTY SEVEN. MISS CARR HEARS THE TRUTH. I was surprised one morning by my weekly letter from Miss Carr containing the welcome news that she was coming back; in fact, that she was following the letter, and it expressed a wish that I should meet her at the terminus and see her home. It was with no small feeling of pride that I found myself chosen for this duty, and quite an hour before it was possible for the train to come in, I was waiting at the station. Soon after I saw the carriage drive up, and at last, after looking endless times at the clock, I saw the train come gliding in, and the next minute I was hurrying along the platform, looking eagerly at each carriage in turn, when I found myself brushing by John Lister, who started and scowled at me as I passed. Just then I caught sight of Miss Carr, looking from one of the carriages, and handing a bundle of wraps to her maid. I ran eagerly up, but only to find myself rudely thrust aside by John Lister, who, in his excitement, studied nothing so that he could reach her first. "At last," he whispered passionately. "Let me be the first to welcome you back." Flushed and angry, my fists involuntarily clenched, and I felt ready to strike him as I started forward once again. I had my recompense, though, directly, for I saw Miss Carr draw down her veil, and; completely ignoring the extended hands, she beckoned to me, and, summoning up as much importance as I could, I said sharply: "Will you have the goodness to stand aside?"