"Go on," Kitty answered.

"I must commence by speaking of myself," said Bennet. "I had need of a sum of money--ten thousand pounds, and I directed my solicitors, Eversleigh, Silwood and Eversleigh, to get it for me by selling a property in Kensington called Beauclerk Mansions, which belonged to me--at least, I believed it belonged to me. I knew that the sale of the property was not likely to be effected immediately; it had to be advertised, and so on. But I did want that ten thousand in a hurry. So I wrote the Eversleighs, and, knowing the Mansions were worth far more than the sum I asked, requested them to make or procure me an advance of the money, and to repay the loan from the proceeds of the sale. Do you understand, Miss Thornton?"

"Perfectly; though I do not see why you should imagine it is interesting or important to me," replied Kitty.

"I am coming very quickly now to that," returned Bennet. "I wrote the firm as I have told you, and received a communication in reply from Mr.

Eversleigh, Mr. Francis Eversleigh, who said that he could not get me the money at once, but would do so in the course of a few days. But there were reasons for my having it without delay, so I went to see Mr.

Eversleigh, and I saw him this morning."

Bennet paused, and looked meaningly at Kitty; he saw that she was following him closely.

"You saw Mr. Eversleigh, you were saying," she observed.

"I saw him, told him I must have the money, and he put me off, but said there would be as little delay as possible. With that I had to be content, though I was disappointed. I had nothing particular to do for the rest of the day, and it occurred to me to go to Beauclerk Mansions, and take a last look at them. I was in a bad humour, and the thing fell in with my mood. When I got to the Mansions, can you guess what I discovered?"

"How can I?" inquired Kitty, wonderingly.

"The discovery was an accidental one," Bennet resumed, "but there was no room for doubt about the matter. I found out that Beauclerk Mansions no longer belonged to me. They had been sold some twelve months before to a company named 'Modern Mansions, Limited.'"

And now Kitty began to see something of what Bennet was about to tell her, and she gazed at him apprehensively.

"The property had been sold!" she exclaimed.

"Yes; without my authority, and by my own solicitors, Eversleigh, Silwood and Eversleigh."

"Surely, there was some mistake," suggested the girl.

"I thought so myself, at first," responded Bennet, "and I promptly went to Mr. Eversleigh and asked for an explanation. But, Miss Thornton," he went on, impressively, "there was no mistake. Mr. Eversleigh put the blame of the sale on his dead partner, Silwood--that may be true, or it may not, in either case it is nothing to me--but he confessed that the property had been sold. No account was ever rendered to me--in a word, the sale was a fraudulent one. Out of his own mouth, Eversleigh stood convicted of fraud."

"I cannot believe it!" cried Kitty, "there must be some dreadful mistake."

"The law, Miss Thornton, will not call it a mistake. It will call it a crime. I have but to say the word, and Francis Eversleigh will be arrested, in due course, tried, and convicted."

Kitty stood and faced the man, her eyes full of indignation.

"Mr. Bennet," she said, "I have known Mr. Eversleigh for years, and I cannot credit what you say."

"It is quite natural for you to say so. I could hardly take the thing in myself at first, but there is not the slightest doubt of the truth of what I have told you. Francis Eversleigh is in my power, and I make no scruple in telling you so."

Bennet's air, Kitty acknowledged to herself, was not that of a man who spoke falsely, whatever else it was; she was afraid that he did in very deed speak the truth.

"You do not scruple to tell me this," she said; "why do you tell me about it at all?"

Bennet looked at the beautiful girl, and her beauty maddened him.

"It is because I love you," he said boldly.

"Because you love me! You take a strange way of showing your love. What do you mean?"

"I said that Eversleigh's fate was in my hands; I should have said it was in yours, Kitty."

"In mine?"

"Yes, in yours, in your pretty hands, Kitty. You have but to command me, and, so far as I am concerned, Eversleigh remains a free man. I will not seek to have him arrested if you tell me not to do so."

"And what more, Mr. Bennet? Is it that your love for me dictates this generosity? Oh, if that be so, I thank you with all my heart."

"I do not want your grat.i.tude, Kitty. I want you. I will only stay my hand on condition that you promise to marry me. There, is that plain enough?"

"To marry you!" exclaimed Kitty. "You know very well that I am engaged to Gilbert Eversleigh."

"Oh, Gilbert!" said Bennet, contemptuously. "After what I have told you about his father you would never dream of marrying him!"

Kitty's eyes suddenly blazed.

"Take care what you say!" she cried.

The pa.s.sion in her eyes did not daunt him; on the contrary, he admired her spirit, and his desire to marry her waxed stronger.

"Am I to understand, then," he asked deliberately, "that you prefer to see Gilbert Eversleigh disgraced, for disgraced he will be when his father is a convicted felon?"

Kitty started; she felt as if she were in a trap.

Bennet saw he had at last made an impression.

"You can ruin Gilbert, too, if you like," he continued; "the fate of both father and son rests with you."

He thought he had said enough, and so was silent. The girl walking by his side was also silent. If what this man said was true, and she was afraid it was, what a frightful calamity had suddenly come upon her! Her heart sank within her, all the sweetness of life and love were on the instant turned to bitterness and gall.

"You can ruin Gilbert," Bennet had said; she could ruin the man she loved! And Francis Eversleigh, the kindly man, who had been a father to her! And Mrs. Eversleigh and the others! She could ruin them or save them--so Bennet had said. Her word would save them!

Bennet fancied he knew the debate which was going on within the girl's breast. At length Kitty came to a decision.

"Do you want an answer now?" she asked.

"At once; yes or no?"

"You know that I do not love you?"

"I love you, and you will come to love me."

"Never, never!" she cried wildly.

Bennet frowned heavily.

"You will, you shall, you must," he vowed.

"You cannot force love," said the girl.