"It was his son, was it not?"
"I thought so at the time, but I have since learned that I was mistaken. He was the boy's guardian."
"The boy died, did he not?"
"Yes, and it must have been a serious calamity to him."
"You mean that he was very much attached to the boy?"
"No, I don't mean that. On the contrary, he appeared to care very little for him. It was the pecuniary loss I was thinking of."
"Explain yourself."
"You must know, then, that the boy was heir to a large fortune, the income of which, during his minority, was payable to Major Grafton for his benefit. No doubt the guardian made a good thing out of it. He probably made it pay both the boy's expenses and his own."
"Then, on the boy's death, he would lose this income?"
"Precisely."