"Who is he?"
Brand hesitated a moment before answering.
"I cannot give you his name, because I may be mistaken. Still, he is a man you would strongly disapprove of."
There was suspicion in Mowbray's eyes and his face hardened.
"What you hint at surprises me, Brand; but I cannot compliment you upon your conduct to-night. However, as Beatrice is the most interested person, it is, I think, only right that she should be allowed to speak."
He rang, and the servant who promptly answered was sent for Beatrice. When the door opened a few moments afterward, Mowbray was surprised to see not his daughter but the maid.
"Miss Mowbray is ill," she announced, "and begs you to excuse her."
The maid withdrew, and Mowbray frowned.
"When must my daughter pay this debt?" he asked.
"When is the forged note due?"