"Sooner or later it must come and God knows it is through no
discrepancies on my part. Poor little Madge; she is a good child. If
she were only settled I would feel more relief; but she is to be
bartered for pelf, poor child. I will stand by her to the last."
Voices in the parlor now claimed Mr. Verne's attention.
"Strange too, at the very moment," murmured the latter as he closed
the folios and then ran his fingers through his hair as if to
prepare for some pleasing reception.
A cheery voice exclaimed "business kept me away sir, but I could
stand it no longer," and shaking his host's hand with more than
hearty grasp Phillip Lawson soon found himself at home in
Sunnybank's elegant parlor.
The young lawyer could not fail to note the careworn look upon Mr.
Verne's passive countenance, nor did he fail to note the cause,
while a strange yearning feeling went straight to the warm heart.
"If it were only in my power to help him," murmured Phillip in
inarticulate tones as he took up a newspaper that lay on the small
table near. It was a late English paper and bore the address of Mr.
Verne in a neat graceful hand.
"We have just heard from Marguerite," said Mr.
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