"He hasn't never troubled you."
"Not yet, and but for one thing I would not have come to America in search of him."
"What is that?"
"That is the secret I am going to tell you. I want to marry again."
The tramp whistled.
Mrs. Middleton frowned, but went on:
"This time I love the man I want to marry. He is from an excellent family, but he is a younger son, and has little or nothing himself. If the estate were mine absolutely, there would be no opposition on the part of his family to his marrying me to-morrow, but with the knowledge that the boy may turn up at any time, nothing will be done."
"I see," said the tramp, nodding.
"But for this, I never would have stirred in the matter at all. I did not think it probable that the boy would ever hear of his inheritance."
"He don't even know who he is," said Rudolph.