“Then he walked over to the brothers; even through my tears I could see how terrified they looked; they seemed struck dumb with fright; he spoke to them now in the most courteous manner, but the courtesy was almost worse than the anger had been before.

“’I shall have to ask you for the use of the office for a short time, gentlemen.  This is an affair I prefer to investigate immediately, and I would like to see this young lady alone.’  They both began to speak again, but he interrupted them.

“‘I will send for you presently; not a word more now, if you please;’ and in spite of themselves they were obliged to walk out of the room.  As they turned to shut the door their faces frightened me.

“‘Oh!’ I exclaimed; ’oh, Mr. Maynard, they will kill Nat I must go home at once,’ and I rose trembling in every nerve.  He made me sit down again, and brought me a glass of wine, and said, ’Do not be afraid, my dear child, they will not dare harm your brother.  Drink this, and tell me your whole story.’

“Then I told him all.  He interrupted me only once, to ask me about the prices paid us for two or three especial patterns which he happened to recollect.  When I stopped, he jumped up from his chair and walked up and down in front of me, ejaculating, ’By Jove! this is infernal—­I never heard of such a contemptible bit of rascality in my life.  I have told my father ever since I came home that these men had bad faces, and I have looked carefully for traces of cheating in their accounts.  But they were too cowardly to try it on a large scale.’

“He then told me that the originality and beauty of the designs which the Wilkinses had furnished the firm of late had attracted general attention; that they had said the best ones were the work of a sister in England, the others of the sister living with them.  When he told me the prices which had been paid for them, I could not help groaning aloud and burying my face in my hands.  ‘Oh, my poor Nat!’ I exclaimed, ’you might have had everything you wanted for that.’

“‘But he shall have it still, Miss Kent,’ said Robert—­’I shall give you a check for the whole amount before you leave this room, and I do assure you that your brother has a fortune in his talent for drawing.  Probably this work is only the beginning of what he will do.’

“As Robert opened the office-door for me to pass out, I saw the two Mr. Wilkinses standing together at the gate through which I must go.  Robert answered my look of alarm by saying, ’I shall walk home with you, Miss Kent.  They shall not annoy you.’

“As we came near, they both lifted their hats with obsequious, angry bows.  Robert did not look at them, but said in a low tone, as we passed, ’Go to the office and wait there till I return.’