"You misunderstood me, dear. There is no danger of my being arrested at once. The danger is if Henley took proceedings against me, I might be imprisoned for—fraudulent dealing."
"Well, if you are not here, he is less likely to do that, don't you think? And, in any case, you must get away; you will suffer less so."
"How can I leave you, Janet? And yet, indeed, there is no use in my staying. As soon as ever it is known that I am dismissed, Henley will begin proceedings; but I won't go without you and the boys. Let us get away to-night; we'll go to America. I may get employment there. I must pay that money. Poor father, if he only knew! But the great thing is to get away."
"I wonder, Fred, would Mrs. Rayburn lend you money enough to pay Henley? Then you could stay here, where you are known, and—"
"Janet, Janet, do you not yet understand that to go where I am not known is my only chance? But certainly if I could quiet Henley, it would be a great thing, and I know she has money. I'll go and ask her; she is very good-natured."
"And I will pack your things. You will go to-night, and leave me to sell the furniture and follow you with the children."
"You forget—the greater part of the furniture belongs to the house. My father bought a few things after his second marriage, and there is your piano. But we'll settle all that when I have spoken to grandma. I'll go to her now. It is partly her doing, so she may well help me," he muttered as he left the room.
"What a good girl Janet is!" he thought. "Half the women I know would have cried and scolded; not one word of reproach from her! Oh, I have been a fool! And we were so happy."
It was easier to make his confession to Mrs. Rayburn than to Janet; but Fred little knew how near he was to learning more of dear, good-natured grandma's true character than he had learned in all these years! Her one consolation had been, that she still had her comfortable home; now, in a moment, she learned that she must look out for some means of earning her bread. In her sudden anger, she sat up in her bed and began—
"You don't mean to tell me that you—"