"I believe," said the stranger, "I have not yet told you the name of the defaulted clerk."
Peter said nothing.
"It was Thornton, but his first name was Peter, the same as yours. Singular, isn't it, Peter?"
"I suppose there are a good many Peters in the world," muttered the old man.
"Very likely; though I hope most of them are better than this Peter Thornton. He got off without being taken, with the twenty thousand dollars in his possession. He was fond of money, and many thought this explained the defalcation. However, there were not wanting others who assigned a different motive. It was said that he had been smitten by the youthful charms of his employer's daughter Eleanor, who did not favor his suit."
Peter shifted uneasily in his chair.
"No one could blame her. In fact it was perfectly preposterous for him to think of mating with her. Did you speak?"
"No!" snarled Peter.
"I thought you said something. I repeat, that she had plenty of reasons for rejecting him. She was just sixteen, and beautiful as she was young, and had no lack of admirers ready to devote themselves to her. As for Peter Thornton, ha! ha! he never could have been very handsome, from all I have heard of him. In the first place, he was forty or more."