"And cannot the conditions be met?"
"No and, oh, I may as well tell you at once!" said Fleda in bitter sorrow; "it is a crime that he committed"
"Mr. Thorn?"
"No O no!" said Fleda, weeping bitterly, "not he"
Her agitation was excessive for a moment; then she threw it off, and spoke more collectedly, though with exceeding depression of manner.
"It was long ago when he was in trouble he put Mr. Thorn's name to a note, and never was able to take it up; and nothing was ever heard about it till lately; and last week he was going to leave the country, and Mr. Thorn promised that the proceedings should be entirely given up; and that was why I came to town, to find uncle Rolf, and bring him home; and I did, and he is gone; and now Mr. Thorn says, it is all going on again, and that he will not escape this time; and I have done it!"
Fleda writhed again in distress.
"Thorn promised without conditions?"
"Certainly he promised freely and now he insists upon them; and you see uncle Rolf would have been safe out of the country now, if it hadn't been for me"
"I think I can undo this snarl," said Mr. Carleton, calmly.