"You do? Good heavens! And that lawyer will be barbarous enough to--but no--he has an interest in not accusing of midnight robbery his danghter's husband; Jasper's secret is safe with him. And Colonel Morley--surely his cruel nephew will not suffer him to make me--me, with one foot in the grave--a witness against my Lizzy's son!" "Colonel Morley, at Darrell's suggestion, came with me to London; and if he does not accompany me to you, it is because he is even now busied in finding out your son, not to undo, but to complete the purpose of your self-sacrifice. 'All other considerations,' said Guy Darrell, 'must be merged in this one thought--that such a father shall not have been in vain a martyr.' Colonel Morley is empowered to treat with your son on any terms; but on this condition, that the rest of his life shall inflict no farther pain, no farther fear on you. This is the sole use to which, without your consent, we have presumed to put the secret we have learned. Do you pardon George now?" Waife's lips murmured inaudibly, but his face grew very bright; and as it was raised upwards, Lionel's ear caught the whisper of a name--it was not Jasper, it was "Lizzy." "Ah! why," said Lionel, sadly, and after a short pause, "why was I not permitted to be the one to attest your innocence--to clear your name? I, who owed to you so vast an hereditary debt! And now--dear, dear Mr. Losely--" "Hush! Waife!--call me Waife still!--and always." "Willingly! It is the name by which I have accustomed myself to love you. Now, listen to me. I am dishonoured until at least the mere pecuniary debt, due to you from my father, is paid. Hist! Hist!--Alban Morley says so--Darrell says so. Darrell says, 'he cannot own me as kinsman till that debt is cancelled.' Darrell lends me the means to do it; he would share his kinsman's ignominy if he did not. Before I could venture even to come hither, the sum due to you from my father was repaid. I hastened to town yesterday evening--saw Mr. Darrell's lawyer. I have taken a great liberty--I have invested this sum already in the purchase of an annuity for you. Mr. Darrell's lawyer had a client who was in immediate want of the sum due to you; and, not wishing permanently to burthen his estate by mortgage, would give a larger interest by way of annuity than the public offices would; excellent landed security. The lawyer said it would be a pity to let the opportunity slip, so I ventured to act for you. It was all settled this morning. The particulars are on this paper, which I will leave with you. Of course the sum due to you is not exactly the same as that which my father borrowed before I was born. There is the interest--compound interest; nothing more. I don't understand such matters; Darrell's lawyer made the calculation--it must be right."