"Cyril never will enter it again," quietly rejoined Mr. Ashley. "Cyril and I have parted. I will give you his wages for this week, now that you are here; legally, though, he could not claim them."
Mr. Dare looked sad—gloomy. It was only what he had expected for some time past. "You promised to do well by him, Mr. Ashley; to take him into partnership."
"You must surely remember that I promised nothing of the sort," said Mr. Ashley. "I have been telling the same thing to Cyril. All I said—and a shrewd, business man, as you are, could not fail thoroughly to understand me," he pointedly added—"was, that I would choose Cyril in preference to others, provided he proved himself worthy of the preference. Circumstances appear to have worked entirely against carrying out that idea, Mr. Dare."
"What circumstances?"
Mr. Ashley did not immediately reply, and the question was repeated in a hasty, almost an imperative tone. Then Mr. Ashley answered it.
"I do not wish to say a word that should unnecessarily hurt your feelings; but in a matter of business I believe there is no resource but to speak plainly. The unfortunate notoriety acquired, in one way or other, by your sons, has rendered the name of Dare so conspicuous, that, were there no other reason, it could never be associated with mine."
"Conspicuous? How?" interposed Mr. Dare.
Mr. Ashley would not have believed the words were uttered as a question, but that the answer was evidently waited for. "You ask how," he said. "Surely I need not remind you. The scandal which, in more ways than one, attached to Anthony—though I am sorry to allude to him, poor fellow, in any such way; the circumstances attending the trial of Herbert; the——"
"Herbert was innocent," interrupted Mr. Dare.
"Innocent of the murder, no doubt; as innocent as you or I. But people made free with his name in other ways; had often made free with it. And look at this last report, wafted over to us from Germany, that is just now astonishing the city!"