"My late stepfather's,—Zebedee Prymmer. He was a lawyer here, who made a failure of the end of his life."
"In what way?"
"He ran away," said Justin, as hurriedly as if the words scorched his lips. "He invested trust money in speculations of his own and lost. He would have been prosecuted had he remained."
"And you are trying to return this money to people who gave it to him?"
"To their heirs."
"And he was only your stepfather?"
"My mother's husband."
"He was a villain," said Derrice, with animation.
"A semi-villain. He hoped to return the money."
"That is villainy."