"
"Have you heard from him?"
"No, sir."
"Do you expect to hear?"
"I think not."
"He can't feel much interest in you."
"I don't think he does," answered Frank. "Still, I can't say that he has
treated me unkindly."
"Do you suspect that your stepfather has wronged you in the matter of
the property?"
"I would rather not answer that question, sir. I might wrong Mr.
Manning, and I have no proof to offer."
"I understand you, and I applaud your discretion. It does you credit.
Some time or other the mystery may be cleared up, and the wrong, if
there is one, may be righted. I can't understand, however, how this Mr.
Manning should be willing to leave you dependent upon your own exertions
with such a scanty provision as twenty-five dollars a quarter."
"I didn't ask for any more; and, besides, Mr. Manning offered to take me
to Europe with his son Mark."
"Do you think that he was sincere in the offer?"
"I don't think he expected me to accept it, and I am sure that it would
have been very disagreeable to Mark to have me in the party."
"Have you any objections to telling me how you have succeeded in your
efforts to make a living?" asked the old gentleman, with a keen but
kindly glance.
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