“Did he send for you?”
“Yes, and it will be some satisfaction to you to know that he has withdrawn his charge against his grandson. When I came before, he asserted most emphatically that the checks had been altered without his knowledge. He now declares angrily that I utterly mistook him, that he said nothing of the kind. He is prepared to swear that the checks are not forgeries at all.”
“Ah! he has come to his senses, at last. I knew he would,” she cried. “So, you see, Mr. Barnby, that you were utterly in the wrong.”
“You forget, madam. You yourself admitted that the checks were altered without your knowledge.”
“Did I? No—no; certainly not! You misunderstood me.”
“Mr. Herresford and his family are fond of misunderstandings,” said the manager stiffly, with a flash of scorn. He shrewdly guessed who the real forger was; but, in the face of the miser’s declaration, he was powerless.
“This means, Mr. Barnby, that now my son will not be arrested, that the impudent affront put upon us by Mr. Ormsby will need an ample apology—a 315 public apology. The scandal caused by your blunders has been spread far and wide.”
“That is a matter for Mr. Ormsby. Mr. Herresford has withdrawn his previous assertion, and has given me a written statement, which absolves your son. I insisted upon it being written. It may have to be an affidavit.”
The sound of the arrival of another carriage broke upon Mrs. Swinton’s ear, and she listened in some surprise.
“Why are so many people arriving here at this hour?” she demanded, curiously.