"Are you sure Michael Hall is not guilty?" asked Zena.
"Were he guilty I should not have seen him," answered Quarles decidedly.
"His poor wife!" said Zena.
"Pray, dear, that we may carry sunlight to her again," said the professor solemnly.
I thought that our journey to Birmingham was for the purpose of interviewing Parrish's nephew, but it was not. Quarles got a list of the leading secondhand booksellers there.
"A bookworm, Wigan, remains a bookworm to the end of his days. Although nothing has been said about it, I warrant Mr. Parrish bought books and had them sent to Thornfield."
"He might have bought them in London," I said.
"I think it was Birmingham," said Quarles.
So far he was right. It was the third place we visited. Baines and Son was the firm, and we saw old Mr. Baines. He had constantly sold books to Mr. Parrish, of Thornfield, who had been to his shop several times, but their intercourse was chiefly by correspondence. Good books! Certainly. Mr. Parrish knew what he was doing, and never bought rubbish.
"His purchases might be expected to increase in value?" asked Quarles.