"To Mr. Merwyn, you mean."
"Yes."
"Has he been unbosoming himself to you?"
"Oh, no, indeed!"
"Why then has he so awakened your sympathy?"
"I fear he is facing more than any of your friends."
"And, possibly, fear is the reason."
"I do not think so."
"It appears strange to me, papa, that you are more ready to trust than I am. If there is nothing which will not bear the light, why is he so reticent even to his friend?"
"I do not know the reasons for his course, nor am I sure that they would seem good ones to me, but my knowledge of human nature is at fault if he is not trustworthy. I wish we did know what burdens his mind and trammels his action. Since we do not I will admit, to-night, that I am glad you feel toward him just as you do."