"Have you seen him?"
"Yes. Poor father, he has suffered much. He has been separated from my mother and myself these many years, and has not dared to show himself at his old home, or among his old friends, because he was liable to be arrested on the old charge."
Ralph was looking down upon the floor, and his features were working convulsively. Bert guessed what was passing through his mind, and paused to give him time.
He looked up after a while, and asked: "What would you have me do?"
"Testify to what you know. It will clear my father, and he can come home once more."
"But it will condemn Albert Marlowe."
"Why not let it? He is the guilty man. Have you so much reason to like Albert Marlowe that you will not do this act of justice?"
"No!" Ralph Harding burst out, and his face wore an expression of resentment. "He has used me like a dog. It was through me that he became a rich man, and in return he has treated me with contempt and indifference. If I dared——"
"You would expose him?"
"Yes, I would. It is of no use to deny what you have said. Your father is an innocent man. The bonds were stolen by Albert Marlowe."