“No, Betty, dear. It was all––”
“It was not fair to you. I would have been true to you, Peter; you would have never known––but after Richard came and told me he had killed you,––I felt as if I had killed you, too. I did like you, Peter. I did! I will do whatever is right.”
“Then it was not in vain––that we have all suffered. We have been saved from doing each other wrong. Everything will come right now. All that is needed is for father to hear what you have told me, and he will come and take me out of here––Where is Richard?”
“No one knows.”
“Not even you, Betty?”
“No; he has dropped out of the world as completely as you did.”
“Well, it will be all right, anyway. Father will withdraw his charge and––did you say his bank was going to pieces? He must have help. I can help him. You can help him, Betty.”
“How?”
Then Peter told Betty how he had found Richard’s father in his mountain retreat and that she must write to him. “If there is any danger of the bank’s going, write for me to Larry Kildene. Father never would appeal to him if he lost everything in the world, so we must do it. As soon as I am out of here we can save him.” Already he felt himself a new man, and spoke hopefully and cheerfully. He little knew the struggle still before him.
“Peter, father and mother are out there in the corridor 418 waiting. I was to call them. I made them let me come in alone.”