"No; while circumstances were strong against him, no one could believe that a man whose reputation for integrity was as high as your father's would be guilty of stealing. But the good will of his associates could not help him."
"Did you know Mr. Marlowe?"
"Albert Marlowe? Yes."
"Was he well liked?"
"Not by me. He was far from being as highly respected as your father."
"Yet he has prospered. He is the owner of a factory in Lakeville, and is considered worth thirty thousand dollars."
"I am surprised to hear it. When I knew him he was always in debt."
"If he really took the bonds charged upon my father, that would account for his start in business."
"Exactly so. Now that I think of it, two or three days after the theft, I saw him and Ralph Harding walking together, apparently engaged in earnest conversation. They evidently had a good understanding with each other. I believe you are on the right track, and I heartily hope you will succeed in making your father's innocence evident to the world. John Barton was my favorite friend, and I hope some day to see him in Chicago."
"Are you in business here, Mr. French?"