"I have been much to blame," said the vicar. "I set myself up as a judge when I had no right to do so. Leo, you must forgive me."  
"I forgive you freely," replied the young man, grasping the hand held out by Mr Tempest. "Appearances were against me, so it was little wonder that you did not trust me. Still, Mr Tempest, you should have known me better than to think me guilty of such a crime."
 
"I know—I know I have been wrong."
 
"Well, let us drop the subject. My character is now clear, and I have no wish to recall a very disagreeable past."
 
This conversation took place in the study of Mr Tempest, and in the presence of Sybil and Marton. The detective had shown the vicar the but welcome letter he had received from Pratt. The therein entirely Leo, and he could again hold up his head. He and Mr Tempest were quite reconciled. Sybil, with her hand in Leo's, looked happy.
 
"I never lost faith in you, Leo!" she said. "Sooner or later I knew that all would be well."
 
"I have to thank Marton for the clearing of my character, Sybil."
 
"Faith, you are wrong there!" said Marton, smiling. "I thought you were innocent; but as I had not looked into the case, I saw no means of proving it. Had not Pratt sent this confession I should still be in the dark. He is a scoundrel, but he is a good friend to you, Haverleigh!"
 
"I don't agree with you," said Tempest, sharply, for he was still sore on the subject of the cup. "Pratt knew that Leo was suspected, and he should have come forward long ere this to put the matter right."
 
"You ask too much from a man of Pratt's nature," said Marton, dryly. "It is wonderful that he should have confessed his even at the eleventh hour. However, this closes the case, and I can go back to London. We know now who stole the cup, and we know also that it cannot be recovered. Pratt will stick to it this time. It was only his vanity and desire for popularity that made him give it away in the first instance."
 
"If it came back to me I should never accept it," said the vicar, emphatically. "A stolen cup should never have been put to sacred uses. I wonder at the daring of the man!"
 
"Oh! a man like Pratt is capable of anything," said Marton, with a . "But you will never see him again, Mr Tempest. And now, Mr Haverleigh, I think you should see Sir Frank Hale and make him confess that he lent you the money."
 
"There will be no difficulty about that," replied Leo. "Hale told only two people that he all knowledge of the loan. One was my aunt, the other myself. He is too cunning to tell the world the untruth he told us. Besides, my character being cleared, he can have no further hold over me. I fear he will be angry."
 
"I am certain he will. Let us see him together."
 
Leo was quite willing to do this, so after taking a fond leave of Sybil, and a cordial one of her father, he set out with the detective to bring Sir Frank Hale to his bearings. On the way Marton asked Leo's permission to touch upon a delicate subject. Haverleigh told him to speak freely. "I owe you too much to take offence at anything you may say," he observed. "You have been my very good friend, Marton."
 
"Oh, that's all right," replied the detective, brightly; "and I really do not deserve your thanks. Any help I have given you has been accidental. If Pratt had held his tongue, you would still have been in the same position as before. But I am bound to say, Haverleigh, that even before the arrival of this letter Mr Tempest expressed his belief in your ."
 
"I am glad of that," said Leo. "He treated me badly, and it is a pleasure to me to hear that his own good sense told him I was innocent before he had the actual proof. I am anxious to stand well with him, Marton."
 
"Ah! That is the matter I wish to discuss. I see that you and Miss Tempest are much attached to one another. Do you think the vicar will consent to the marriage?"
 
"I really can't say. Even before this scandal he seemed to be with me, and kept me away from his house as much as possible. He did not want to see me, and he would not let me see Sybil. We had to meet by stealth. Now he may have changed his mind."
 
"And if he has? What, then?"
 
"Then I can announce my engagement to Sybil," said Leo. "But, you see, I am not in a position to marry, and may not be for a long time. I have to make my way in the world, and to make money also. I thought of for this war, and of fighting my way through the ranks to a commission."
 
"Even then I do not see how you could marry. You might gain a commission, but not money. Until your worldly are more secure, I do not think you should engage yourself to Miss Tempest."
 
"That is straight speaking, Marton."
 
"You gave me permission to speak out. I like you, Haverleigh, and after the trouble you have come through I think you should be rewarded by getting your heart's desire. But if you love Miss Temple, you will not marry her until you can give her a comfortable home. Even if you are successful in South Africa, a baggage is not the place for a delicate girl. You can offer her nothing better than that."
 
"True enough. I admit that what you say is correct. But what am I to do?"
 
"Well," said the detective, after a pause, "it seems to me that you have some claim upon your aunt. She took charge of you and brought you up. I understand she intimated that you would be her heir, and you received an education to fit you for the position. If she intended to send you adrift as she has done, she should at least have had you taught some profession or trade whereby you could earn your bread and butter. Yes; I think you have a right to demand some assistance from her."
 
Leo shook his head and flushed. "I can't bring myself to do that," he said in a low voice. "She has insulted me so deeply that it goes against my nature to eat pie. I would rather make my own way in the world. As to Sybil, I shall not ask her to engage herself to me until—as you say—I can offer her a home."
 
"You can do nothing but , I suppose?"
 
"No. Soldiering is all I am fit for. Now that my name has been cleared I will bid farewell to Sybil and enlist straight away. She will wait for me, I am certain. I get my commission I can perhaps see my way to make her my wife. If I am shot—well," Leo his shoulders, "there is an end to all things."
 
"Haverleigh!" said Marton, after a pause. "Will you tell me what reason your aunt has for disliking you so much?"
 
"I don't know. She has always been stern and hard with me. Lately she has openly hated me. That is why I left her."
 
"There is something connected with you that is wrong?"
 
"Not to my knowledge. I have been foolish, but not wicked."
 
"I know that. But Mrs Gabriel knows something—it may be about your parents—that has prejudiced the vicar against you. It was her influence that made him turn against you. He admitted as much to me. But he refused to say what she had told him."
 
"I guessed all this," said Leo, quietly; "but what can I do?"
 
"Insist upon knowing what has been said. You have a right to. If the vicar will not speak out—and he has given his word not to—Mrs Gabriel may be forced to do so. Were I you, Haverleigh, I should see her and insist upon an explanation."
 
"She won't give it."
 
"I should force it out of her," said Marton, . "Oh! I know she is a hard woman, but if you she must give way."
 
Leo thought for a few moments. "Well, Marton," he said at length, "I will see the vicar first and speak to him on the subject of Sybil. From what he says I may see the reason of his attitude towards me. Then I can call upon Mrs Gabriel. You may be sure I shall do my best."
 
Marton nodded, but said no more for the present, as by this time they were at the door of Hale's house. A servant opened the door and took in their names. Shortly she them into a room where Sir Frank was seated in a chair by the window reading to his sister. Edith Hale looked pale and ill. She lay on a sofa, but started up and blushed red when[189] she saw Leo. There was no doubt that the poor girl was deeply in love with the young man. Leo, in the kindness of his heart, felt a . It seemed to him that he was treating her cruelly, although the position was none of his making.
 
"Good-day!" said Hale, without rising, and including Leo and Marton in one swift glance. "I am surprised to see you, Haverleigh. I thought you did not care about keeping up my acquaintance."
 
Leo would have replied sharply, but as Edith was present he cast a meaning glance in her direction. "I should like to speak with you alone," he said, "that is, in the presence of Mr Marton."
 
Before Hale could reply Marton interposed. "Wait a bit," he said in his smooth voice, and with a glance at the girl. "There is something to be said first in the presence of Miss Hale."
 
"In my presence!" she exclaimed turning red, while her brother .
 
"Yes. Something you will be pleased to hear. You both know that Mr Haverleigh has been accused of stealing this cup."
 
"I never believed it, never!" cried Edith, eagerly, and Leo gave her a look of , which made her turn pale with emotion.
 
"And you, Sir Frank?"
 
Hale shrugged his shoulders. "I never thought much about the subject," he said, the lie coming at once to his practised lips. "The evidence was against Haverleigh, I admit; but I tried to think the best of him."
 
"Your speech is rather , Sir Frank," was the dry response of Marton. "But I think you must have thought well of Haverleigh or you would not have helped him out of his difficulty by lending him money."
 
"Oh, Frank, did you do that?" cried Edith, taking her brother's hand. "I love you for it. How good you are!"
 
Hale's face grew blacker and blacker. Had he been alone he would have lied, but in the presence of the sister he loved so deeply he could not bring himself to deny the truth. Moreover, he had a kind of feeling that Marton had come to proclaim the innocence of Leo, else why should he come at all? His plot of getting Leo into his power had failed—he was clever enough to see that—so it only remaine............