"Has it been much care for you, mother?" asked Frank.
"Not yet," said Mrs. Craven, hesitating, "but perhaps it may."
"I suppose Mr. Craven will always be ready to give you advice if you need it," said Frank, though the suggestion was not altogether to his taste, "but I would rather have you only as my guardian."
"Well, let us drop the subject," said Mr. Craven, gayly. "As you say, I shall always be ready to advise, if called upon. Now, my dear Frank, go to your engagement, I won't detain you any longer."
But when Mr. Craven was alone, his countenance underwent a change.
"That boy is a thorn in my side," he muttered, with compressed lips. "Sooner or later, he must be in my power, and his fortune under my control. Patience, Richard Craven! A dull-witted boy cannot defeat your plans!"
CHAPTER IX.
A STRANGER APPEARS ON THE SCENE.
"How do you like your step-father, Frank," asked Ben Cameron as the two boys were walking home from school together.