Day had broken before the several denizens of theWilderness had all returned to their homes, the policefinished their inquiries, and all come back to its normalquiet. Mrs. Westmacott had been left sleeping peacefullywith a small chloral draught to steady her nerves and ahandkerchief soaked in arnica bound round her head. Itwas with some surprise, therefore, that the Admiralreceived a note from her about ten o'clock, asking him tobe good enough to step in to her. He hurried in, fearingthat she might have taken some turn for the worse, but hewas reassured to find her sitting up in her bed, withClara and Ida Walker in attendance upon her. She hadremoved the handkerchief, and had put on a little capwith pink ribbons, and a maroon dressing-jacket, daintilyfulled at the neck and sleeves.

"My dear friend," said she as he entered, "I wish tomake a last few remarks to you. No, no," she continued,laughing, as she saw a look of dismay upon his face. "Ishall not dream of dying for at least another thirtyyears. A woman should be ashamed to die before she isseventy. I wish, Clara, that you would askyour father to step up. And you, Ida, just pass memy cigarettes, and open me a bottle of stout."

"Now then," she continued, as the doctor joined theirparty. "I don't quite know what I ought to say to you,Admiral. You want some very plain speaking to."

"'Pon my word, ma'am, I don't know what you aretalking about."

"The idea of you at your age talking of going to sea,and leaving that dear, patient little wife of yours athome, who has seen nothing of you all her life! It's allvery well for you. You have the life, and the change,and the excitement, but you don't think of her eating herheart out in a dreary London lodging. You men are allthe same."

"Well, ma'am, since you know so much, you probablyknow also that I have sold my pension. How am I to liveif I do not turn my hand to work?"

Mrs. Westmacott produced a large registered envelopefrom beneath the sheets and tossed it over to the oldseaman.

"That excuse won't do. There are your pensionpapers. Just see if they are right."

He broke the seal, and out tumbled the very paperswhich he had made over to McAdam two days before.

"But what am I to do with these now?" he cried inbewilderment.

"You will put them in a safe place, or get a friendto do so, and, if you do your duty, you will go to yourwife and beg her pardon for having even for an instantthought of leaving her."

The Admiral passed his hand over his rugged forehead. "This is very good of you, ma'am" said he, "very good andkind, and I know that you are a staunch friend, but forall that these papers mean money, and though we may havebeen in broken water lately, we are not quite in suchstraits as to have to signal to our friends. When we do,ma'am, there's no one we would look to sooner than toyou."

"Don't be ridiculous!" said the widow. "You knownothing whatever about it, and yet you stand there layingdown the law. I'll have my way in the matter, and youshall take the papers, for it is no favor that I am doingyou, but simply a restoration of stolen property."

"How that, ma'am?"

"I am just going to explain, though you might take alady's word for it without asking any questions. Now,what I am going to say is just between you four, and mustgo no farther. I have my own reasons for wishing to keepit from the police. Who do you think it was who struckme last night, Admiral?"

"Some villain, ma'am. I don't know his name."

"But I do. It was the same man who ruined or triedto ruin your son. It was my only brother, Jeremiah."

"Ah!"

"I will tell you about him--or a little about him,for he has done much which I would not care to talk of,nor you to listen to. He was always a villain,smooth-spoken and plausible, but a dangerous, subtlevillain all the same. If I have some hard thoughts aboutmankind I can trace them back to the childhood which Ispent with my brother. He is my only living relative,for my other brother, Charles's father, was killed in theIndian mutiny.

"Our father was rich, and when he died he made a goodprovision both for Jeremiah and for me. He knew Jeremiahand he mistrusted him, however; so instead of giving himall that he meant him to have he handed me over a part ofit, telling me, with what was almost his dying breath, tohold it in trust for my brother, and to use it in hisbehalf when he should have squandered or lost all that hehad. This arrangement was meant to be a secret betweenmy father and myself, but unfortunately his words wereoverheard by the nurse, and she repeated them afterwardsto my brother, so that he came to know that I held somemoney in trust for him. I suppose tobacco will not harmmy head, Doctor? Thank you, then I shall troubleyou for the matches, Ida." She lit a cigarette, andleaned back upon the pillow, with the blue wreathscurling from her lips.

"I cannot tell you how often he has attempted to getthat money from me. He has bullied, cajoled, threatened,coaxed, done all that a man could do. I still held itwith the presentiment that a need for it would come. When I heard of this villainous business, his flight, andhis leaving his partner to face the storm, above all thatmy old friend had been driven to surrender his income inorder to make up for my brother's defalcations, I feltthat now indeed I had a need for it. I sent in Charlesyesterday to Mr. McAdam, and his client, upon hearing thefacts of the case, very graciously consented to give backthe papers, and to take the money which he had advanced. Not a word of thanks to me, Admiral. I tell you that itwas very cheap benevolence, for it was all done with hisown money, and how could I use it better?

"I thought that I should probably hear from him soon,and I did. Last evening there was handed in a note ofthe usual whining, cringing tone. He had come back fromabroad at the risk of his life and liberty, just in orderthat he might say good-bye to the only sister he everhad, and to entreat my forgiveness for any painwhich he had caused me. He would never trouble me again,and he begged only that I would hand over to him the sumwhich I held in trust for him. That, with what he hadalready, would be enough to start him as an honest man inthe new world, when he would ever remember and pray forthe dear sister who had been his savior. That was thestyle of the letter, and it ended by imploring me toleave the window-latch open, and to be in the front roomat three in the morning, when he would come to receive mylast kiss and to bid me farewell.

"Bad as he was, I could not, when he trusted me,betray him. I said nothing, but I was there at the hour. He entered through the window, and implored me to givehim the money. He was terribly changed; gaunt, wolfish,and spoke like a madman. I told him that I had spent themoney. He gnashed his teeth at me, and swore it was hismoney. I told him that I had spent it on him. He askedme how. I said in trying to make him an honest man, andin repairing the results of his villainy. He shriekedout a curse, and pulling something out of the breast ofhis coat--a loaded stick, I think--he struck me with it,and I remembered nothing more."

"The blackguard!" cried the Doctor, "but the policemust be hot upon his track."

"I fancy not," Mrs. Westmacott answered calmly. "Asmy brother is a particularly tall, thin man, and as thepolice are looking for a short, fat one, I do not thinkthat it is very probable that they will catch him. It isbest, I think, that these little family matters should beadjusted in private."

"My dear ma'am," said the Admiral, "if it is indeedthis man's money that has bought back my pension, then Ican have no scruples about taking it. You have broughtsunshine upon us, ma'am, when the clouds were at theirdarkest, for here is my boy who insists upon returningthe money which I got. He can keep it now to pay hisdebts. For what you have done I can only ask God tobless you, ma'am, and as to thanking you I can't even----"

"Then pray don't try," said the widow. "Now runaway, Admiral, and make your peace with Mrs. Denver. Iam sure if I were she it would be a long time before Ishould forgive you. As for me, I am going to Americawhen Charles goes. You'll take me so far, won't you,Ida? There is a college being built in Denver which isto equip the woman of the future for the struggle oflife, and especially for her battle against man. Somemonths ago the committee offered me a responsiblesituation upon the staff, and I have decided now toaccept it, for Charles's marriage removes the last tiewhich binds me to England. You will write to mesometimes, my friends, and you will address your lettersto Professor Westmacott, Emancipation College, Denver. From there I shall watch how the glorious struggle goesin conservative old England, and if I am needed you willfind me here again fighting in the forefront of the fray. Good-bye--but not you, girls; I have still a word I wishto say to you.

"Give me your hand, Ida, and yours, Clara," said shewhen they were alone. "Oh, you naughty little pusses,aren't you ashamed to look me in the face? Did youthink--did you really think that I was so very blind, andcould not see your little plot? You did it very well, Imust say that, and really I think that I like you betteras you are. But you had all your pains for nothing, youlittle conspirators, for I give you my word that I hadquite made up my mind not to have him."

And so within a few weeks our little ladies fromtheir observatory saw a mighty bustle in the Wilderness,when two-horse carriages came, and coachmen with favors,to bear away the twos who were destined to come back one. And they themselves in their crackling silk dresses wentacross, as invited, to the big double wedding breakfastwhich was held in the house of Doctor Walker. Then therewas health-drinking, and laughter, and changing ofdresses, and rice-throwing when the carriages droveup again, and two more couples started on that journeywhich ends only with life itself.

Charles Westmacott is now a flourishing ranchman inthe western part of Texas, where he and his sweet littlewife are the two most popular persons in all that county. Of their aunt they see little, but from time to time theysee notices in the papers that there is a focus of lightin Denver, where mighty thunderbolts are being forgedwhich will one day bring the dominant sex upon theirknees. The Admiral and his wife still live at numberone, while Harold and Clara have taken number two, whereDoctor Walker continues to reside. As to the business,it had been reconstructed, and the energy and ability ofthe junior partner had soon made up for all the ill thathad been done by his senior. Yet with his sweet andrefined home atmosphere he is able to realize his wish,and to keep himself free from the sordid aims and baseambitions which drag down the man whose business lies tooexclusively in the money market of the vast Babylon. Ashe goes back every evening from the crowds of ThrogmortonStreet to the tree-lined peaceful avenues of Norwood, sohe has found it possible in spirit also to do one'sduties amidst the babel of the City, and yet to livebeyond it.