'I beg you, sir, I entreat you, as you love your home and respect the name you bear, not to have anything to do with Ophir till I have followed this shekel up to its origin. It may serve as a clue by which the mystery will be unravelled. I will go and see Grizzly himself, and ascertain from his own lips where he found it, or rather, whether he found it at all.'
'You are a sceptic,' said Mr. Battishill, 'steeped in the spirit of the age.'
'Well,' asked Cicely, when Herring came out, 'what is the result?' She noticed that he was looking excited.
'Your father is bitten with Ophir,' he answered. 'He and I have nearly come to hard words. It is the first time we have had any difference, and we have been warm on both sides. I must find out about Ophir, if only to save him; for Tramplara has woven his web round him, and has so dusted his eyes with gold that he can neither free himself nor see clearly where he is. He will infallibly be brought to ruin again by that wretched old man, unless I get to the bottom of the mystery of this accursed Ophir.'
'Oh, Mr. Herring!' pleaded Cicely, putting her hands together; 'do—do help us.'
'Yes, Miss Cicely.'
'I beg your pardon,' she said, and the clouds cleared from her pleasant face. 'Cousin John, what should we—what should I do without you?'
'I have done nothing as yet. But I am determined to expose Ophir, and by so doing to save your father.'
'How will you set about it?'
'I have a clue—a shekel.'