“You delude yourself. You have tempted this Birch as no man ever was tempted before. It would have been strange if he had not fallen. I am afraid you are to blame. I never quite liked Mr. Birch’s manner of doing business. When I return to Baltimore, I will send you a precise account of all the drafts I have forwarded to him and to you. In my opinion, you will yet have an action for embezzlement against him. As you grow older, you will grow wiser. You will learn to trust no man.” “But he is not charged with wronging me.” “It is all the same, Mr. Hungerford. In my opinion, he is guilty.” Eugene was out of patience with the eminent trustee, who was a cold-blooded man of business. Julia was terribly distressed on account of Dick’s misfortunes: and as she listened to Mr. Lester’s comments upon him, she was sick at heart. She knew not what to believe, or what to disbelieve. Later in the evening, Mr. Lester resumed the subject, deeming it his duty to fortify the young _millionnaire_ against the sin of trusting others, fully believing that Eugene was in danger of being swindled out of all he had and all he would have. He did his duty faithfully, and there was not much left of Dick Birch when he had finished his wordy harangue. Mr. Lester had listened to all the evidence on both sides; and when Eugene ventured to suggest that Dr. Bilks was a villain, the eminent trustee warmly defended him. The next day, Eugene, contrary to Mr. Lester’s advice, and to his great disgust, bailed Dick, who was discharged from custody. Dr. Bilks had left by the morning train for New York. After dinner the eminent merchant went to sleep, and Eugene hastened down to the Port to see Dick. He found him at the hotel, rather blue, but not hopeless. “Has anything new come out?” asked Eugene. “Dr. Bilks drew five thousand dollars from the bank last night.” The bank opened at all hours in Poppleton. “Of course, then, Sandy McGuire is a rich man by this time.” “No doubt of it.” “I think we had better go and see Sandy now.” They went; but Sandy McGuire had left town. He had hired one of his neighbors to convey himself and wife to Newington the evening before. Eugene sent the shrewdest man he could find in Poppleton to follow him. The messenger returned in a week with no tidings of him. When it was too late, Eugene blamed himself for not acting more decisively. Dr. Bilks had effectually cut off the only means by which his presence at Sandy’s house on the night of the murder could be proved or disproved. “Hungerford,” said Dick, on their return from the settlement, “Dr. Bilks is too great a villain for me. I have been weak. I did not strike when I should have struck; and when I struck, I did not strike hard enough.” “Never mind, Dick; it will all come out right.” “I have never doubted that; but for the present I stand in a very bad situation. Everything I have done thus far has made the doctor stronger, and me weaker.”